(Reuters) - The Iraqi government is seeking to buy 36 advanced F-16 fighters from the U.S., American military officials familiar with the request told the Wall Street Journal.
This move could help Iraq reduce its reliance on U.S. air power and potentially allow more American forces to withdraw from the country than had been proposed.
The F-16, made by Lockheed Martin Corp, is the most sophisticated weapons system Iraq has attempted to purchase so far.
Late in July, the U.S. Department of Defense had approved up to $10.7 billion in arms sales for Iraq, including a $2.16 billion sale of M1A1 Abrams tanks built by General Dynamics Corp.
The U.S. recently announced F-16 sales to Morocco and Romania. Those sales, each for roughly $100 million per plane with training, related equipment and support included, offer an indication of how lucrative the Iraq deal could be for Lockheed Martin and its suppliers.
Iraq now appears determined to significantly expand the air power of its military, which has become more competent and confident in recent months but depends heavily on the U.S. for air support.
Iraq quickly has become one of the biggest weapons buyers in the world as it seeks to strengthen and professionalise its fighting force.
No one was available at the U.S. Department of Defense for comment.
(Reporting by Sweta Singh in Bangalore, editing by Will Waterman)
EDIT:please mettez vos articles tjs en forme
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jf16 General de Division
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Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Sam 29 Juin - 22:51
Citation :
Armies of Iraq, Djibouti, Lebanon, Romania and Argentina To Get Oshkosh Tactical Vehicles
09:20 AM, June 29, 2019
One of Oshkosh's Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle (FMTV) variants
Oshkosh Defense has won as $320 million contract to supply Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) variants to the armies of Iraq, Djibouti, Lebanon, Romania and Argentina.
The FMTV is a series of vehicles, based on a common chassis, that vary by payload and mission requirements.
According to the company, commonality of parts across chassis variants reduces the logistics burden as well as operational and support costs. And with Long-Term Armor Strategy-compliant cab (LTAS) and other advanced technologies, military personnel are provided with the protection they need to complete their missions.
Work is estimated to be completed by August 24, 2021
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Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Ven 29 Nov - 21:08
Citation :
Iraq receives final T-50IQ light fighter and trainer aircraft
Gareth Jennings, London - Jane's Defence Weekly
29 November 2019
Iraq has received into service its 24th and final Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50IQ Fighting Eagle light fighter and trainer aircraft, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 29 November.
The delivery of the final batch of aircraft, which is the Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) variant of the T-50 Golden Eagle/FA-50 Fighting Eagle, marks an end to the six-year procurement process that was launched in December 2013.
The IqAF fields the twin-seat T-50IQ primarily as a lead-in fighter trainer for its 36 Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon fighters. Basic flight training takes place on Serbian Utva Lasta 95 piston-engined aircraft, with intermediate training on the Beechcraft T-6 Texan II turboprop
Le gouvernement des États-Unis a suspendu les livraisons d’avions de combat Lockheed-Martin F-16Q à l'Iraq. Cette décision fait suite aux craintes générées par l’élimination du commandement iranien Qassem Soleimani.
Situation sous hautes tensions :
Les Etats-Unis sont inquiets en ce qui concerne la sécurité de leurs ressortissants en Irak. Du personnel de maintenance a été retiré du pays ces dernières semaines. On parle notamment d’équipes spécialisées dans l’entretien des F-16. De plus, des sources proches du Pentagone soupçonnent que du personnel lié à des milices Chiites tente de s’approprier les technologies liées au F-16 afin de les transférer en Iran. Le retrait d’une partie des équipes de Lockheed-Martin affecte la capacité de vol de la flotte de F-16. L’embargo sur les livraisons va également prétériter la logistique des pièces détachées.
Le retrait des sous-traitants menace de dégrader gravement les capacités opérationnelles de l'Iraq. Les F-16 devenant peut-être un handicap pour le pays, celui-ci pourrait bien se tourner ailleurs pour de nouveaux appareils. On pense à la Russie.
Le F-16IQ :
Les F-16C/D Block52 irakiens (IQ) disposent du radar Raytheon AN/APG-68 (V)9 à antenne mécanique. L’armement comprend les missiles air-air AIM-9L/M-8/9 et AIM-7M-F1/H «Sparrow», missile air-sol AGM-65D/G/H/K Maverick, ainsi que des bombes à guidage laser de types : GBU-10 «Paveway II», GBU-24 «Paveway III» ainsi que des Mk 82 et 84. La nacelle sélectionnée est l'AN/AAQ-28 «Litening» (de première génération) et la nacelle de reconnaissance F-9120 (AARS). Les F-16 irakien disposeront du système de guerre électronique AN/ALQ-211 « ACES » couplé au lance-leurres AN/ALE-47. La motorisation choisie concerne le Pratt & Whitney F100PW-229. On notera au passage que les équipements (radar et des missiles) qui frôlent l’obsolescence à la mise en service.
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Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Sam 14 Mar - 19:19
Citation :
Transfers of major weapons: Deals with deliveries or orders made for 2019 to 2019 Note: The ‘No. delivered’ and the ‘Year(s) of deliveries’ columns refer to all deliveries since the beginning of the contract. The ‘Comments’ column includes publicly reported information on the value of the deal. Information on the sources and methods used in the collection of the data, and explanations of the conventions, abbreviations and acronyms, can be found at URL .
Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database Information generated: 14 March 2020
Russia R: Iraq (3000) 9M117 Bastion/AT-10 Anti-tank missile (2015) 2018-2019 (1000) For BMP-3 IFV (300) BMP-3 IFV 2015 2018-2019 (100) 73 T-90S Tank 2016 2018-2019 (73) Incl T-90SK version
United States R: Iraq 1 TPS-77 Air search radar 2019 Designation uncertain; reported as Long-Range Radar
jf16 General de Division
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Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Jeu 19 Mar - 10:13
Citation :
Iraqi armoured division exercises Abrams tanks with BMP-1s for first time
Mohammed Najib, Ramallah - Jane's Defence Weekly
18 March 2020
Iraq’s 9th Armoured Division has conducted what was probably its first tactical exercise that combined M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks with BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), according to the country’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).
M1A1 Abrams tanks and BMP-1 IFVs from the 34th Brigade of the Iraqi Army’s 9th Armoured Division train together. (Iraqi Ministry of Defence)
“I think it’s the first exercise for the command of the 9th Armoured Division where the BMP-1 tracked infantry fighting vehicle participated with the M1 Abrams tanks,” Major General Walid Khalifa al-Tamimi, the division’s commander, said in a video released by the MoD on 15 March.
“Today, an exercise took place for the 34th Armoured Brigade, training on the structure of the brigade, and how to respond to targets,” he added.
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Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Mar 19 Mai - 18:55
Mi35 de l'aviation de l'armée de terre
Mi28 de l'aviation de l'armée de terre
C130J
L159A
F16C IQ
F16D IQ
An32
Su25
T50IQ
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jf16 General de Division
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La France et l’Irak ont l’intention de renforcer leur coopération militaire
par Laurent Lagneau · 27 août 2020
Numéro deux de l’opération Inherent Resolve [OIR], c’est à dire de la coalition anti-jihadiste dirigée par les États-Unis, le général Kenneth Ekman a assuré, le 23 juillet dernier, que le groupe État islamique [EI ou Daesh] n’est plus que « l’ombre de ce qu’il était ». Selon lui, « l’un des signes de succès est que l’EI n’est pas capable de contrôler du territoire ».
Or, a continué le général Ekman, « quand on arrive au point où on n’a plus qu’une petite insurrection qui se cache dans des zones rurales, dans des caves et des montagnes, on a globalement réussi. » Écartant le risque d’une résurgence de l’organisation jihadiste, même si cette dernière ne pourra jamais être « complètement éradiquée », il a laissé entendre que la coalition pourrait réduire ses troupes au Levant.
Cependant, le groupe d’experts des Nations unies mis en place pour assurer le suivi des sanctions prises contre Daesh et al-Qaïda a un avis plus nuancé. « On estime à plus de 10.000 le nombre global de combattants de l’EI en Irak et en Syrie, qui se déplacent régulièrement entre les deux pays, en particulier dans les provinces d’Anbar et de Ninive limitrophes » du territoire syrien, écrit-il dans son dernier rapport semestriel.
S’il a constaté une baisse des attaques revendiquées par Daesh au cours des premiers mois de l’année, le groupe a toutefois noté une recrudescence des attentats depuis quelques semaines. D’après lui, l’EI mène une « guerre d’usure » en Irak où il a établi des « sanctuaires dans la chaîne de montagnes Hamrin ». Le tout en multipliant les assassinats politiques, les représailles contre les civils et les attaques contre les exploitations agricoles, dans le but d’aggraver la situation économique. En Syrie, il en fait de même, en se prenant aux Forces démocratiques syriennes et aux forces pro-Damas ainsi qu’aux centrales électriques et aux infrastructures de transports et de communications.
Aussi, pour la France, il n’est pas question de baisser la garde, d’autant plus que, ces derniers mois, le nombre de frappes aériennes effectuées par les Rafale de la force Chammal a augmenté. Et c’est l’une des raisons pour lesquelles la ministre française des Armées, Florence Parly, s’est rendue à Bagdad, ce 27 août.
« Alors que la région, comme le reste du monde, est en proie à la pandémie, la lutte contre le terrorisme conserve son caractère d’urgence. Daesh, bien que défait militairement, a tout sauf disparu. Il tire parti de la situation et se réorganise dans la clandestinité », a en effet expliqué le ministère des Armées, dans le communiqué annonçant le déplacement de Mme Parly en Irak.
La ministre devait aussi exprimer le « soutien » de la France à la « souveraineté irakienne », mise à mal par les ingérences iraniennes et… une intervention militaire lancée en juin par la Turquie dans le nord de l’Irak, contre les refuges du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan turc [PKK, organisation classée comme terroriste par l’Union européenne et les États-Unis, ndlr]. Lors de cette opération, deux officiers irakiens ont récemment perdu la vie lors d’une frappe réalisée par un drone turc.
« La France déplore ce développement grave, sur lequel toute la lumière devra être faite » avait affirmé, à l’époque, le Quai d’Orsay. Et d’ajouter : « La France est profondément attachée au plein respect de la souveraineté irakienne » et « condamne toute violation de cette souveraineté. »
Quoi qu’il en soit, la visite de Mme Parly à Bagdad, où elle a rencontré Barham Saleh, le président irakien, Moustapha Al Kadhimi, son Premier ministre et le général Jumaa Enad Al-Joubouri, son ministre de la Défense, aura donc permis de réaffirmé la préoccupation des deux pays face à la « menace d’une résurgence de Daesh ».
En outre, il a aussi été question d’approfondir la coopération militaire entre Paris et Bagdad. Ainsi, selon le ministère des Armées, Mme Parly a fait part à ses interlocuteurs que la France « se tient prête à poursuivre les formations engagées auprès des forces irakiennes qui combattent en première ligne et participer à la montée en puissance des forces de sécurité irakiennes. »
Mais il s’agirait d’aller au-delà de la formation et de l’entraînement des forces irakiennes. En effet, « les deux pays ont exprimé le souhait d’approfondir leur coopération en matière de défense et d’armement, y compris dans les domaines pouvant permettre à l’Irak de renforcer ses moyens de surveillance, au sol comme dans son espace aérien », avance le ministère des Armées.
Est-ce à dire que Bagdad va se tourner vers Paris pour équiper et moderniser ses forces armées? En tout cas, l’Irak a du mal à maintenir en état de vol les F-16 acquis auprès des États-Unis au début des années 2010, en raison d’un défaut de maintenance lié à la détoriation des relations sécuritaires avec Washington. Pour le moment, cette situation n’est pas trop gênante pour la lutte contre Daesh, la coalition étant encore présente dans la région. Mais elle le deviendra quand cette dernière réduira la voilure, comme le général Ekman l’a laissé entendre en juillet, laissant les l’aviation militaire irakienne seule en première ligne.
messages : 628 Inscrit le : 24/07/2009 Localisation : London UK Nationalité :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Jeu 7 Jan - 13:07
100th Anniversary of the Iraqi Army 1921-2021
_________________
mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
messages : 628 Inscrit le : 24/07/2009 Localisation : London UK Nationalité :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Jeu 7 Jan - 13:19
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Adam Modérateur
messages : 6300 Inscrit le : 25/03/2009 Localisation : Royaume pour tous les Marocains Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Ven 8 Jan - 16:20
Des bras cassés .....
THOMAS NEWDICK - The Drive a écrit:
The Iraqi Air Force’s F-16 Fleet Is On The Brink Of Collapse Despite Showy Flybys
A high-profile 23 F-16 flyover may only have served to paper over the cracks in what is an increasingly precarious Iraqi Viper fleet.
A total of 23 Iraqi Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16IQ Viper fighter jets took part in an impressive flyby to mark the centenary of the country’s army yesterday. This is despite recent reports that Baghdad’s fleet of F-16s, the pride of the country’s air force and arguably its most capable combat assets, is suffering from serious readiness problems.
The flyby was part of a major military parade to commemorate 100 years of the Iraqi Army that was staged in Baghdad in the presence of the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi. As well as fighters and helicopters, troops, and various military vehicles were presented to the country’s officials and the general public. A full video of the event is posted later in this article.
The Iraqi Air Force originally acquired 36 F-16C/D Block 52s, also known by the designation F-16IQ, under a 2011 Foreign Military Sales deal, but two of the jets were lost in separate accidents during their initial period of training in the United States. The remaining 34 Vipers are assigned to the 9th Fighter Squadron at Balad Air Base and have previously flown combat operations against ISIS as part of the Operation Inherent Resolve coalition, striking targets both in Iraq and in Syria.
“The Iraqi Air Force F-16 pilots demonstrated their readiness in the Defeat Daesh mission,” said U.S. Army Colonel Wayne Marotto, the official military spokesman for Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), said in a statement, using a colloquial name for ISIS. CJTF-OIR is the formal name for the U.S.-led coalition to fighting that terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.
That vote of confidence from CJTF-OIR is noteworthy since it was reported only last month that the Iraqi F-16 fleet was no longer flying missions as part of the international coalition. That story was published online by the Iraq Oil Report, which specializes in news from and about Iraq.
The number of jets involved in the January 6 celebrations is also significant in light of previous accounts that suggested that less than 20 percent of Iraq’s F-16s were fully airworthy. The report, based on an investigation into the status of Balad Air Base, home of the Iraqi Air Force Viper fleet, contended that during one effort to get 19 jets into the air in the course of a single day last year, four of them “almost crashed,” apparently as the result of near-collisions.
“The pilots were crying for help,” one unnamed former Iraqi Army official told Iraq Oil Report. “It was a huge risk.”
The same story quotes active and retired members of the Iraqi military who describe “poor jet maintenance and mismanagement” leading to the F-16s regularly failing to meet required maintenance standards.
Officials confirmed to the Iraq Oil Report last December that only seven jets from the F-16 fleet were able to fly “without serious risk of crashing,” while the operational jets were being kept airworthy using spare parts cannibalized from the other aircraft. This is clearly a short-term solution that will eventually lead to all aircraft becoming non-airworthy in the long-term.
There was, however, some indirect pushback from CJTF-OIR in the wake of the article, with the following tweet — including an image of an Iraqi F-16 undergoing maintenance — posted around a week after the report was published:
F-16 maintainers at Balad Air Base are hard at work making sure the Iraqi Air Force is always ready to take off. The Iraqi F-16s are a vital part of the success of the mission to #DefeatDaesh and the continued safeguarding of the sovereignty of Iraq. pic.twitter.com/9qFg3Q9S8P
The poor state of the jets may well have been the reason — or at least a contributing factor — behind the decision to remove the F-16s from air tasking orders. This move, which occurred around April 2020, was confirmed to the Iraq Oil Report later in the year by one current and one former Iraqi Army officer and two coalition spokespersons from the U.S. military, including the coalition’s chief spokesperson, U.S. Army Colonel Wayne Marotto.
Despite removal from the CJTF-OIR order of battle, the Iraqi Air Force did apparently fly two further sorties as part of the campaign, on September 1, 2020. However, it seems these were fairly tokenistic. One former Iraqi Army official told the Iraq Oil Report that the flights were “bullshit.”
Further details on the status of the Iraqi Vipers have been published by the Scramble aviation website, which has reported that, of the 34 F-16s based at Balad, at least 10 “are not able to fly at all.” Of the 23 jets that took part in the flyby, Scramble says that more than half “are only able to fly but lack working radars and avionics to operate with weapons and show other shortcomings.” The website adds that within other Western air forces, jets in a similar status would simply be grounded.
The problems faced by the Iraqis in keeping the F-16 fleet combat-ready are manyfold. Above all, logistical issues have affected aircraft availability, a knock-on effect of budget shortages due to the falling price of oil, together with the ongoing security situation in the country, which has led to a reduction in the Lockheed Martin-provided contractor support needed to properly maintain the jets.
The lack of money to support the F-16s has led to Baghdad taking out a $2.7-billion loan from the United States to cover ammunition and maintenance for the jets, as well as to sustain its costly M1A1 Abrams. The Iraqi military has had increasing trouble operating and maintaining those main battle tanks, which it also acquired from the United States, as you can read about more here.
There is also the factor of a limited number of fully trained crews to both fly and service the jets. In terms of pilots, a shortage of available jets on the flight line means fewer training sorties can be generated, with aircrew losing their qualifications for specific tasks, including undertaking combat missions, or night flying.
An example of the lack of oversight in maintenance was one incident last August in which a ground crew reduced from the standard four to just one person failed to properly secure an F-16 that was parked after a flight. It then rolled away and hit a maintenance vehicle, causing serious damage to the jet’s nose.
The Iraq Oil Report also cited mismanagement and alleged corruption as factors behind the Iraqi F-16 fleet’s problems. That corruption was addressed in a previous article published by the same source, last August, pointing to “criminal schemes and failures of oversight” at Balad, including the example of commanders allegedly fabricating logbooks to exaggerate the number of training flights taking place. The surplus fuel left over was then apparently sold off illicitly. Since then, and despite an Iraqi Ministry of Defense investigation, the situation has reportedly only deteriorated.
Meanwhile, the safety of U.S. contractors in Iraq has become an increasing concern in the last 12 months. ISIS has stepped up its activities in northern Iraq, including targeting individuals associated with oil fields and other energy infrastructure, as well as security forces.
The assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, then-commander of Iran's Quds Force, in a U.S. drone strike outside Baghdad International Airport in January 2020 also led to a dramatic increase in threat levels in Iraq. Days after the drone strike, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched numerous ballistic missiles at the U.S. operated portions of air bases at Al Asad and Erbil, injuring 110 American service members.
Moreover, the relationship between Iraq and the United States — and the U.S.-led coalition — has worsened since last year’s Baghdad Airport drone strike, which also claimed the life of Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, the then-deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an umbrella organization overseeing semi-official militias mobilized to fight ISIS, which includes multiple Iranian-backed groups.
With all this in mind, it seems that Lockheed Martin contractors were forced to leave Iraq in January 2020, although it’s unclear whether they left entirely, or left a reduced presence in the country. Reportedly, at least some Lockheed Martin maintenance contractors began returning to Balad Air Base in the summer “to complete the terms of their logistics support contract.”
At that point, however, the U.S. government threatened to close its Embassy in Baghdad if Iraq didn’t take action to prevent attacks against it. This again put into question the status of U.S. contractors in the country.
“If Lockheed does follow the U.S. government’s lead to the exits, it would likely ensure the F-16 fleet is unable to rejoin the U.S.-led coalition anytime soon,” the Iraq Oil Report observed.
“We continue to work closely with our security teams and government partners to monitor the situation,” a Lockheed Martin statement to Iraq Oil Report contended. “The safety and well-being of our employees is our top priority.”
It seems that, despite the ability to put up 23 jets as a show of strength, the long-term fate of the Iraqi F-16 fleet hangs in the balance. Efforts to fly 19 or 23 jets in a single day may look impressive but are no guarantee of combat-readiness.
There’s also the lingering question of whether Iraq even really needs aircraft in the class of the F-16. The Iraqi Air Force also operates cheaper Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) T-50 Golden Eagle advanced trainer/light combat aircraft that arguably provide much of the capability required to combat an enemy like ISIS. Also suitable for this type of counterinsurgency campaign are the air force’s subsonic Su-25 Frogfoot or Czech-made L-159 attack jets, which it has many years of experience operating, as well as turboprop-powered AC-208 Armed Caravans that can deliver AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
Furthermore, the Mi-24 Hind and Mi-28 Havoc attack helicopters flown by the Iraqi Army, both of which are seen in the video below, are similarly equipped for this kind of mission and have seen extensive combat against ISIS.
Even the Iraqi Air Force’s An-32 Cline transports, which have been adapted to operate as bombers, have at times seen more combat use than the F-16s, an anomaly that you can read about in detail here. Suffice to say, between June 2014, and December 2017, the An-32 cargo planes flew 990 strike missions, almost twice that of the Iraqi F-16 fleet’s 514 sorties.
It is worth noting too that the Iraqi F-16 acquisition was controversial from the beginning, and export approval was only granted after the jets were suitable downgraded compared to other export variants, including removal of AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile capability, these weapons being substituted by less-capable AIM-7 Sparrows. Over and above this, an aircraft as sophisticated as the F-16 requires constant support from the original equipment manufacturer — in this case, Lockheed Martin — making the type arguably too sophisticated for the newly re-established Iraqi Air Force.
Ultimately, unless the problems presented by economic constraints and the wider security situation, let alone alleged mismanagement and corruption, can be addressed, it may simply be a matter of time before the whole of the Iraqi Viper fleet is finally grounded for good.
_________________ Les peuples ne meurent jamais de faim mais de honte.
Anzarane Lt-colonel
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Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Ven 8 Jan - 16:24
Et dire qu'un temps elle fut une grande armée........que c'est triste.
mr.f-15 Eagle Sous lieutenant
messages : 628 Inscrit le : 24/07/2009 Localisation : London UK Nationalité :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Mar 12 Jan - 16:04
http://www.opex360.com/2021/01/12/bientot-des-avions-rafale-pour-la-force-aerienne-irakienne/ a écrit:
Apparement l'Irak veut se doter de Rafale et du système samp/t
_________________ Le courage croît en osant et la peur en hésitant.
Adam Modérateur
messages : 6300 Inscrit le : 25/03/2009 Localisation : Royaume pour tous les Marocains Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Mar 11 Mai - 15:33
Une parenthèse qui se ferme???
THOMAS NEWDICK - The Drive a écrit:
The End Of Iraq's F-16 Fleet Is A Real Possibility As Lockheed Contractors Prepare To Leave
Without U.S. technicians, the fall from grace of the Iraqi Air Force’s Viper fleet could be complete.
The saga of the Iraqi Air Force’s troubled Lockheed Martin F-16IQ Viper fighter jet fleet has taken another turn for the worse, with the announcement that manufacturer Lockheed Martin is to withdraw its maintenance teams supporting the jets from the country. The move has been taken amid continuing concerns for the safety of foreign contractors working on behalf of Iraq and the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias are still waging a campaign of violence.
The New York Times reported the latest development and published a statement from Joseph LaMarca Jr., Lockheed Martin’s vice president for communications. “In coordination with the U.S. government and with employee safety as our top priority,” LaMarca explained, “Lockheed Martin is relocating our Iraq-based F-16 team.”
There were no details provided by the company about how many technicians will leave the country and whether or not there is any contingency plan to keep the F-16s active, although Reuters reports that a remote team will be set up to provide virtual support to the Iraqi Air Force. An unnamed Iraqi security official told the newspaper that there were 70 Lockheed Martin employees at Balad, around 50 of which would return to the United States, while the remainder would move to Erbil Air Base in the Kurdistan region.
The news follows soon after the release of the latest report to the U.S. Congress from the Lead Inspector General for Operation Inherent Resolve, covering the first quarter of 2021. This provides details of Iraqi F-16 operations, including a total of 299 sorties in this period, 295 of which were for training. The limited number of operational sorties used primarily GBU-12 guided bombs and occasionally Mk 82 unguided bombs. While Iraqi F-16s and attack helicopters were reported conducting “dynamic strikes against high-value targets while also responding to support [Iraqi Security Forces] units in combat,” no more than four combat sorties actually took place in the last quarter. “With continued U.S. contractor support,” the report noted, “Iraq’s F-16 program aims to reach eight training sorties per day.”
As The War Zone has explored in the past, these aircraft are, on paper, the Iraqi Air Force’s most capable combat assets, but have suffered from serious readiness problems in the past.
Earlier this year, the Iraqi Air Force succeeded in getting 23 F-16s airborne over Baghdad for a military parade to commemorate 100 years of the Iraqi Army. Previous accounts had suggested that less than 20 percent of Iraq’s remaining 34 F-16s were fully airworthy. The latest New York Times report states that “few” of these jets are now still operational.
Regardless, this same story concludes that, without Lockheed Martin’s assistance in Iraq, the remaining F-16s are likely to be grounded. Returning them to airworthiness would likely be difficult, if not impossible, without renewed assistance from the United States or potentially another country with established F-16 support infrastructure. Even if that could be arranged, it would also require U.S. approval. Either way, there remains the possibility that Baghdad instead chooses to invest its limited resources elsewhere in its military, perhaps in its Czech-made L-159 attack jets, currently flying but non-operational, or its AC-208 Armed Caravans that can deliver AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. However, the subsonic Su-25 Frogfoot attack jets have been grounded for the first quarter of 2021 due to a lack of spares.
An Iraqi AC-208 Armed Caravan aircraft takes off from Balad Air Base prior to performing a close air support mission
The new report also points to the particular security concerns surrounding Balad Air Base, home of the Iraqi Air Force F-16 fleet, which is located around 40 miles north of Baghdad in the so-called Sunni Triangle, one of the areas that were overrun by ISIS when it made significant gains in 2014. Delivery of the jets to Iraq was delayed as Iraqi security forces took on ISIS, but after the aircraft arrived, they began to be used to fight the insurgents as part of the Operation Inherent Resolve coalition, striking targets both in Iraq and in Syria.
More recently, however, militias have stepped up their activities again in northern Iraq. As well as targeting local security forces, these attacks have been directed against individuals associated with oil fields and other energy infrastructure, humanitarian organizations, and U.S. interests.
Two other Iraqi airbases with a U.S. military presence came under ballistic missile attack from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) last year. Al Asad and Erbil were both hit by IRGC missiles after the U.S. assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, then-commander of Iran's Quds Force, in a drone strike in Baghdad in January last year. In all, 110 U.S. service members were injured in those attacks and Lockheed Martin personnel were briefly withdrawn from Balad in response.
However, rocket attacks against Balad have continued, with Iran-backed militias also deemed to be the culprits. On May 3, a rocket attack hit the compound of U.S. military contractor, Sallyport, at Balad Air Base, killing and injuring some Iraqi contractors, although their U.S. counterparts were apparently unscathed.
The New York Times report indicates that Iraqi officials tried to persuade the U.S. contingent to stay at Balad, while simultaneously putting pressure on the militias to stop their attacks, but the United States rejected this. Now, according to Iraqi officials, a return of U.S. contractors is only possible if adequate protection can be insured. So far, at least, the Iraqi security forces have not proved able to achieve this.
The timing of all this is also unfortunate for Baghdad, where pro-Iran militias are applying pressure on the government to negotiate a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. While Lockheed Martin employees are not explicitly part of this equation, it's no secret pro-Iranian groups want them gone.
Meanwhile, the head of U.S. Central Command General Kenneth McKenzie told members of the House Armed Services Committee last month that he didn’t expect to see a complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq in the near future.
Iraq acquired its F-16IQ jets — equivalent to the F-16C/D Block 52 — under a 2011 Foreign Military Sales deal, but there have been repeated questions about their airworthiness and even their use in combat. As for their capability, it’s also worth noting that they fall below most equivalent Block 52 jets, being provided with less sophisticated armament to secure export approval.
A report published online last December by the Iraq Oil Report, which specializes in news from and about Iraq, stated that the Iraqi F-16 fleet was no longer flying missions as part of the international coalition. Soon after, the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) offered a statement confirming the Iraqi F16 pilots had “demonstrated their readiness in the Defeat Daesh mission,” using the colloquial name for ISIS.
However, the fact that the F-16s have been challenging to keep in the air has most recently been acknowledged by the Iraqi prime minister himself.
“The lack of experts to maintain aircraft according to the agreement signed with the American companies when buying them is a problem,” Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi told Iraqi television channels recently.
The temporary loss of Lockheed Martin technicians last year led to a downturn in F-16 availability, and this has been compounded by mismanagement and alleged corruption, including air force commanders allegedly fabricating logbooks to exaggerate the number of training flights taking place, and the reported illicit sale of jet fuel.
An Iraqi maintainer sprays an F-16 with water after a mission in an undisclosed location, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, June 2018.
While the security situation in the country has been the most obvious cause of disruption, there is an argument to be made that the advanced F-16 was not the right choice for the Iraqi Air Force, or this type of counterinsurgency warfare, anyway. These are issues you can read more about in this previous article of ours.
Since the last U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraq in 2011, the country has been on a slow and frequently painful path to military self-sufficiency. If Lockheed Martin can’t be persuaded to return to the country to support its F-16s or another arrangement doesn't come to pass, these jets may end up as little more than a footnote in the reestablishment of the Iraqi Armed Forces.
_________________ Les peuples ne meurent jamais de faim mais de honte.
Bruce Wayne aime ce message
Fahed64 Administrateur
messages : 24800 Inscrit le : 31/03/2008 Localisation : Pau-Marrakech Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Mar 11 Mai - 15:40
Ils devraient les vendre genre aux tunisiens ou Pakistanais ou encore aux turcs .... il y a un marché énorme, les jet on même pas 10 ans ....
_________________ Sois généreux avec nous, Ô toi Dieu et donne nous la Victoire
Northrop et Adam aiment ce message
RED BISHOP Modérateur
messages : 11936 Inscrit le : 05/04/2008 Localisation : france Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Mar 11 Mai - 16:11
Ou au Maroc...
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Northrop, Fahed64 et Anzarane aiment ce message
Northrop General de Division
messages : 6029 Inscrit le : 29/05/2007 Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Mar 11 Mai - 17:43
Oui Fahed, la Tunisie devrait bondir sur l'occasion.. Pour le Maroc une 12aine de block60 ex émirati, ils réduisent leur arsenal, ils viennent de livrés une centaine de Leclerc a la Jordanie, et veulent se débarrasser de 30 F16..
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Mar 11 Mai - 22:08
Si c'est confirmé si Northrop il faut pas rater cette occasion de racheter ces 30 f16 block 60, c'est une aubaine, pour les f16 irakiens c'est vrai que la cellule a à peine 8 ans pour les plus vieux appareils, il faut voir leurs état avec Lockheed et si les irakiens veulent les vendre si c'est OK, allah yssekher.
Northrop General de Division
messages : 6029 Inscrit le : 29/05/2007 Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Mer 12 Mai - 18:18
Non pas les 30 F16, les 12 meilleures d'entre eux nous suffisent.. Pour les modèles IQ c'est bon pour la Tunisie ou Pakistan, Turquie.
Mais les modèles UAE j'ai toujours rêvé d'en voir chez nous..
_________________ الله الوطن الملك
Stinger Lt-colonel
messages : 1366 Inscrit le : 18/06/2020 Localisation : Paris Nationalité :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Jeu 13 Mai - 12:34
Northrop a écrit:
Non pas les 30 F16, les 12 meilleures d'entre eux nous suffisent.. Pour les modèles IQ c'est bon pour la Tunisie ou Pakistan, Turquie.
Mais les modèles UAE j'ai toujours rêvé d'en voir chez nous..
leurs block 60 ont fait le yemen et la libye ils doivent avaoir méchament bouffé
Pour les iraquien les acheté puis les modernisé direct ça serait un bon deal
Northrop General de Division
messages : 6029 Inscrit le : 29/05/2007 Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Sujet: Re: Armée Irakienne / Iraqi Armed Forces Jeu 13 Mai - 18:29
Oui la cellule.. mais au cas où il y a un choix pour les modèles UAE, ce sera les 12 meilleures qui nous faudra pour compléter 60 chasseurs, ils seront compatible avec les nôtres.. J'ai même un petit faible et je ne serai pas opposé à leurs Mirage 2000-9.. Mais il faut être réaliste pour le Maroc comme pour les UAE il y aura le Rafale F4.. C'est un bijou ce Rafale, il rend fou.. J'en ai entendu un passé , en plus d'être puissant, leurs réacteurs passent en silencieux ont dirait, j'en ai entendu un cette hiver , les réacteurs grondé et soudain plus un bruit..
Ven 5 Sep - 15:09
