(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)
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Gémini Colonel-Major
messages : 2735 Inscrit le : 09/12/2009 Localisation : Un peu partout!!! Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
WASHINGTON — Violence in Iraq could delay the delivery of American F-16 fighter jets to the Baghdad government after contractors had to be evacuated from a key air base, the Pentagon said Monday.
Although the United States is moving to expedite the delivery of weapons and ammunition to the Iraqi government as it battles Sunni extremists, volatile conditions on the ground threaten to disrupt preparations for the F-16 jets, spokesman Col. Steven Warren told reporters.
Private contractors working on the F-16 program at Balad airbase were recently moved to a safer location in Baghdad because of the threat posed by advancing Sunni militants.
“They (contractors) are no longer operating in Balad. So it will have an impact. It’s too soon to tell exactly what that impact is,” Warren said.
His comments came as Iraq took delivery of a first batch of Sukhoi Su-25 fighter aircraft from Russia, but the Pentagon insisted Moscow’s move would not derail Washington’s arms sales to Baghdad.
“The Iraqi purchase of Russian military equipment does not affect the Iraqi purchase of American military equipment,” said Warren, adding: “We are continuing with our foreign military sales program to Iraq.”
He rejected criticism from some Iraqi leaders that the United States was purposely stalling the delivery of badly needed weapons or aircraft, including the F-16s.
“We are very aware of the critical need that Iraq has for advanced weapons. We are working as quickly as possible to ensure that they receive all the foreign military sales that they have requested and that they paid for,” he said.
“We don’t believe our process is any slower and more deliberate than it needs to be.”
However, all arms sales have to be vetted to comply with rules about safeguarding the transfer of some sensitive military technology, he said.
The United States has provided 400 out of 500 Hellfire missiles recently purchased by Iraq, and the final 100 missiles would arrive in Baghdad with a few weeks, he said.
And the Pentagon continues to supply Iraqi forces with small arms and ammunition that are of “immediate” use, he added.
The Defense Department plans to sell Iraq up to 24 Apache attack helicopters as well, but Baghdad has not yet paid for the choppers, according to Warren.
The key to resolving the conflict in Iraq was not supplying Baghdad with weapons but instead forging a political settlement addressing the country’s sectarian tensions, he said.
“The solution to this problem is an inclusive government, not firepower,” he said.
http://www.defensenews.com
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rmaf Administrateur
messages : 15609 Inscrit le : 18/03/2007 Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
C'est Saddam qui a ordonné qu'on organise ces defections.
Ils ne sont jamais retournés parce cela était impossible après l'établissement de la NFZ au dessus de l'Irak et de peur que ce retour en masse d'appareils de combat ne soit pris comme une excuse pour des attaques encore plus meurtrieres contre les civils irakiens.
MAATAWI Modérateur
messages : 14756 Inscrit le : 07/09/2009 Localisation : Maroc Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
U.S. plans sale of 4,000 more Hellfire missiles to Iraq
The State Department has told lawmakers informally that the Obama administration wants to sell Iraq more than 4,000 additional Hellfire missiles made by Lockheed Martin for the government’s fight against Islamic insurgents, according to people familiar with the plan.
Sale of the laser-guided missiles would be in addition to 500 previously purchased, of which about 400 have been delivered.
The U.S. has pledged military aid to Iraq in its fight against the militants, an extremist Sunni group that’s seized a swath of territory north and west of Baghdad. Iraq’s ambassador to the U.S., Lukman Faily, said Tuesday in Washington that weapons have been too slow in coming and “further delay only benefits the terrorists.”
Members of the Senate and House foreign relations committees were informed of the planned sales last week and are conducting an informal review of the potential sale that could last as long as 40 days, according to the people, who asked not to be identified in advance of a public notification.
The air-to-ground missiles, which typically carry 20-pound armor-piercing or fragmentation warheads, are being made by Lockheed in Troy, Ala. Lockheed’s Missiles and Fire Control division is based in Grand Prairie.
Iraq has also ordered 36 F-16 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. The U.S. government took delivery of the first F-16 built for Iraq in a ceremony in Fort Worth last month attended by Faily. That plane remains at Lockheed’s west Fort Worth complex waiting to be ferried to Iraq.
Facing increased threats from militants, Faily said that Iraq was forced to purchase used Russian fighter jets because the Pentagon has been too slow in delivering the F-16s.
The Pentagon has said the first two F-16 fighters have been scheduled for delivery this fall. Marie Harf, a State Department spokeswoman, said Tuesday that “the Iraqis have been slow” in preparations, including paying for the planes and finding secure locations for them.
Staff writer Steve Kaskovich contributed to this report.
http://www.star-telegram.com
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rmaf Administrateur
messages : 15609 Inscrit le : 18/03/2007 Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Iraq lacks ability to fly F-16s it seeks, US trainer says
WASHINGTON — Despite complaints by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that the United States has been slow in its delivery of F-16 fighter jets, no Iraqi pilot team has qualified to fly the aircraft in combat and none will be ready before mid-August, according to an official at the U.S.-based program where the pilots are being trained.
That problem is one of many the Obama administration is confronting as it tries to speed more equipment to the Iraqi air force to help it defeat the Islamic insurgency engulfing the country. There are also challenges in providing or quickly deploying laser-guided Hellfire missiles and Apache combat helicopters, and concerns that the weaponry going to Iraq could be used against political targets.
As the crisis worsens, the Pentagon and Congress are scrambling to send hundreds of Hellfires to Iraq, but only two planes in the Iraqi air force are capable of firing them, both turboprop Cessnas. The U.S. military is rushing to figure how to retrofit other rudimentary aircraft that the Iraqis can fly.
For the moment, the United States has been left with accelerating the shipment of 1,132 Hellfires that Congress has approved for sale to Iraq. A Pentagon spokesman said that more than 400 have been delivered this year and that Congress is interested in sending hundreds more beyond the current order.
Lukman Faily, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States, said in Washington this week that Baghdad had asked the administration "again and again" for air support such as Apache helicopters and without it, Iraq has been forced to turn to Russia for fighter jets. "We don’t have choices," said Faily. "The situation on the ground is pushing us to choose whoever will support us." Russia sent several disassembled Su-25 fighter jets to Iraq this week, and Iran has also supplied Su-25s.
The United States has also approved the sale to Iraq of Apache helicopters, which are capable of carrying Hellfires. But as of Jan. 27, when the State Department officially notified Congress of the deal, Iraq had not signed the sales contract, said a State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly.
Iraq’s aging attack helicopters are armed only with .50-caliber guns and 2.75-inch rockets that can only reach targets when the aircraft fly low, making them more vulnerable.
The United States has given Iraq more than $1 billion in equipment over the past decade to create an air force.
A delivery date for the F-16s is uncertain, in part because Balad Air Base, which would have housed the jets, is no longer secure. On June 12, militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), now known as Islamic State, neared the base 40 miles north of Baghdad and forced U.S. contractors working on security there to leave the area.
"It’s just too soon for us to say when we’ll be able to deliver them," a Pentagon spokeswoman said of the F-16s.
But at the Pentagon last week, spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters: "We’re still committed to the sale and the process continues to churn, even given the unrest in Iraq."
There are some concerns within the U.S. government that the Iraqi air force will use the Hellfire missiles not only to kill terrorist leaders but also to intensify a sectarian campaign against Sunni political foes, according to senior U.S. military officials and experts.
A spokesman said the Pentagon has not seen any abuses of Hellfires by the Iraqis.
"We’ve seen no evidence of the allegations that [Iraq’s security forces] have used Hellfire missiles against inappropriate targets," said Cmdr. Bill Speaks. "Prior to the past two weeks, in particular, the ISF were very sparing of their usage of a limited supply of Hellfires, and it would not have made sense to misuse them against ’soft’ targets."
Years before U.S. forces left Iraq in 2011, the U.S. military developed a plan to train the new air force to carry out targeted killings against suspected terrorist leaders by employing U.S.-made aircraft, smart bombs and targeting techniques, according to senior U.S. Air Force officials involved in the effort.
The CIA, the National Security Agency and the secretive Joint Special Operations Command offered help in developing target packages that pilots could use to hit "high-value individuals" and mid-level commanders, the officials said.
The U.S. participants tried to control which targets were struck. The hope was that the controversial tactic of targeting individuals, developed by the CIA and U.S. military during the long wars against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan and elsewhere, would increase Iraq’s ability to kill terrorist and insurgent leaders without direct U.S. involvement while limiting civilian deaths.
But even before the U.S. military left the country, the Iraqi government purged many of its best intelligence officers and assets because they were either Sunnis or Kurds, vastly degrading its ability to locate important terrorist targets, according to a senior intelligence official who spoke anonymously so that he could speak freely. Killing terrorists was no longer the Shiite-dominated government’s top priority, the officials said. Instead, the goal became one of undermining Sunni influence and power.
To accomplish this, Maliki created a special military liaison office, the Office of the Commander in Chief (OCINC), as a work-around to the normal chain of command, the officials said. It was also meant to bypass prying American eyes.
Michael Pregent, a former Army intelligence officer working on contract as an embedded adviser to the Iraqi security forces in 2008, obtained evidence that showed how politicized the Iraqi targeting process had become.
Pregent was secretly passed a list of 3,000 targets that OCINC was giving to its ground commanders conducting raids, he said in a recent interview. A confidential analysis of the list by Americans in a targeting cell at the Baghdad Operations Center found that 95 percent of the targets were either Sunni men of military age, tribal leaders or other Sunnis listed simply as "the friend of a terrorist, father of a terrorist, grandfather of a terrorist," Pregent said. No direct evidence of terrorist involvement was provided, he said.
Officials at the Iraqi Embassy did not respond to requests for comment on the list.
Now, the United States is faced with another dilemma: either push for a new coalition government for Iraq and endure a chaotic transition, or continue to arm and strengthen the Maliki government, with the possibility that it will use its weapons to further divide the country.
Some argue that stemming the crisis takes precedence.
The United States should rush more planes, smart bombs and other help there immediately, James Jeffrey, U.S. ambassador to Iraq until June 2012, said in an interview. "It would be absurd under any circumstances, let alone the existential one the Iraqis are in now, to think they will only use [Hellfire missiles] on high-value targets as we would use them. They will hit anything that moves that they halfway think is the ISIS or Sunni insurgents."
Maliki reiterated this week that his priority is to defeat the insurgency and then deal with Iraq’s internal political situation. "I don’t believe there is anything more important than mobilizing people to support the security situation," he said in a speech broadcast on state television. "Other things are important, but this is the priority."
For the United States, the larger concern is not simply to safeguard the F-16s and their classified technology, but also to prevent their misuse. Using the bombs to kill Sunni political foes will lead "back to the same cycle," said the senior intelligence official. "The more people you kill, the more terrorists you produce."
"Everything they are doing is running contrary to what we want them to do, because all they are doing is creating more fear and distrust," said Richard Brennan, a senior political scientist at the Rand Corp. who studies Iraq’s air force. "There are a lot of indiscriminate attacks."
Human Rights Watch says Iraqi forces have also repeatedly struck Fallujah General Hospital this year, injuring doctors and staff. Iraq also reportedly dropped "barrel bombs" filled with scrap metal and explosives on Fallujah, a Sunni-dominated city, and the surrounding areas during a two-week period in May. Maliki’s office denies both charges.
Proponents of training foreign air forces in targeted killings say the tactics will decrease the number of civilians killed. But even supporters recognize the risks inherent in arming unstable allies with such lethal technology.
"None of this is perfect," said retired Gen. Norton Schwartz, who was Air Force chief of staff from 2008 to 2012 when the Iraqi program began. "You have to be very judicious to act in a lethal way against potential targets. . . . I don’t have any problem acting against combatants as long as there is probable cause. It’s a balancing act. I watch people struggle with it."
Iraq is buying 36 F-16s, which will give it a greatly enhanced ability to kill people from a distance. In 2011, Iraq delayed a pending $1 billion contract for the first 18 of the planes, saying it could not afford them because it needed the money for food aid to the poor. The contract was restarted in late 2012.
Twelve of the 18 Iraqi pilots undergoing F-16 training are at an Air Force facility in Tucson. Two have advanced to the final stage and should be certified to fly as lead pilots in mid-August, according to Tom Fox, a civilian government employee who manages the F-16 training program.
Six others have qualified as wingmen who would accompany the lead pilot in separate planes, and four are in basic training, Fox said. The plan is to train a total of 54 pilots. Fox said Iraq was having trouble paying the agreed-upon price for the training, so the Air Force created a payment plan to make it more affordable and keep it on track.
Aaron Gregg is attached to The Washington Post’s Investigative Unit through a program with American University.
http://www.stripes.com
_________________ Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres
jf16 General de Division
messages : 41644 Inscrit le : 20/10/2010 Localisation : france Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's largest aircraft manufacturer is pushing to build a new airfield and repair airports in Iraq, the company's CEO told reporters.
In a meeting with reporters on Friday, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) President Ha Sung-yong said Iraq has proposed building a new airfield in the southern part of the country that can be used by 24 FA-50 light attack fighters.
KAI inked a US$1.1 billion deal with Baghdad in December to deliver the aircraft, an armed variant of the T-50 supersonic trainer, to the Middle East country from 2015 through 2016. Aircraft to be sold to Iraq are called the T-50 IQ and can be armed with the latest air-to-air and air-to-surface munitions, as well as automatic cannons.
"Iraqi authorities suggested the need for a military airbase for the new jets, and although no deal has been signed, KAI expressed a desire to pursue talks on this matter," the executive said.
A FA-50 light attack fighter in the South Korean Air Force. (Yonhap file photo)
While conditions on the ground in Iraq are fluid, there is little risk to the FA-50 deal, the CEO said. The Iraqi officials he spoke to wanted the planes delivered as soon as possible so that they can be used to deal with security threats facing the country, according to Ha. KAI already received advanced payment for the order.
The oil-rich country has been hit hard by the incursion of the Al-Qaeda offshoot jihadist militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) this year, and lost control over large swaths of north and central parts of the country. Government forces have conducted aerial attacks against ISIS forces but have been hampered by lack of equipment.
The KAI's chief said that more detailed negotiations on the airfield will be carried out in August.
The aerospace company will likely go into Iraq to build the airfield that may be worth $600-700 million in cooperation with a builder.
"Building the airfield is not hard, although setting up related facilities and systems to control aircraft requires know-how that KAI can share," the CEO said.
If the airfield project makes headway, KAI may also be able to win repair work on airports across the country that have been damaged in the recent fighting.
In regards to sales of the T-50 jets and their variants, Ha hinted that he has been in consultation with Thailand on the matter and hoped "positive exchanges" of views can be arranged within the year. He said talks are for around 16 FA-50 aircraft.
"The Thai authorities I have talked to are very interested in the FA-50, although it is too early to be optimistic at present," the KAI chief said.
If a deal is reached with Thailand, it will be the fourth foreign order after Indonesia, Iraq and the Philippines. KAI said it is also in talks with Peru and Botswana for the sale of the planes.
Ha said there were also ongoing efforts on the T-X project that involves supplying jets to the U.S. military for replacement of T-38 supersonic trainers.
"The T-X project could involve upward of 2,000 planes in the long run," he said, highlighting the importance of the project for KAI.
KAI has been working with Lockheed Martin, which played a critical role in the development of the T-50, to win the much delayed T-X program that may be decided in late 2017 or early 2018.
Others competing for the order are Alenia Aermacchi's M-346 that joined up with General Dynamics, the BAE Systems-Northrop Grumman team proposing an updated Hawk-128 trainer, and more recently the Saab-Boeing partnership that is expected to market the revised version of the JAS 39 Gripen fighter, in use with the Swedish air force.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
_________________ Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres
MAATAWI Modérateur
messages : 14756 Inscrit le : 07/09/2009 Localisation : Maroc Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
Russia has begun supplying military helicopters and fighters jets to Iraq, a report said Thursday, as Iraq's defense minister visited Moscow to press for equipment to thwart a jihadist offensive.
"A number of contracts with Iraq have entered into force and are being fulfilled," the Interfax news agency quoted a source in Russia's defense export establishment as saying.
Deliveries of Mi-35 helicopter gunships and Su-25 fighters that provide close air support for ground troops have begun, added the source.
Iraq also has contracts for Mi-28 attack helicopters and mobile Pantsir-S1 surface-to-air and anti-aircraft artillery systems.
Russia's ambassador to Baghdad Ilya Mogunov had previously said he believed up to 10 Sukhoi fighter jets would be delivered by the end of the summer.
Russia and Iraq in 2012 signed contracts worth $4.2 billion (3.1 billion euros) to supply 36 of the Mi-28 attack helicopters and 48 of the Pantsir units, according to Russian Technologies (RosTec) which controls their producers
Later it signed contracts for six Mi-35 helicopters and Su-25 fighters.
Iraqi officials said Wednesday that Defense Minister Saadun al-Dulaimi had left for Moscow in a bid to step up military cooperation.
"Dulaimi will meet the Russian defense minister and other officials to urge them to provide Iraq with weapons, equipment and modern military aircraft," Staff Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Askari told AFP.
The Russian defense industry source told Interfax that given the increased tensions following the downing of a Malaysian passenger jet over a region in Ukraine controlled by pro-Russia rebels, Washington may pressure Baghdad to cancel its orders for Russian weaponry.
Despite the billions of dollars spent on training and equipment by the United States during its eight-year occupation, Iraq's million-strong army completely folded when insurgents attacked last month.
Within days, the Islamic State jihadist group and allied Sunni factions conquered Iraq's second city of Mosul and large swathes of the north and west.
The front lines have since stabilized and Baghdad has already received intelligence assistance from Washington and Sukhoi warplanes from Russia and Iran.
http://english.alarabiya.net
_________________ Le Prophéte (saw) a dit: Les Hommes Les meilleurs sont ceux qui sont les plus utiles aux autres
silent eagle Lt-colonel
messages : 1247 Inscrit le : 17/04/2012 Localisation : somewhere Nationalité : Médailles de mérite :
D'après le journal "le monde" les US veulent vendre 5000 missiles helfire à l'irak !
Citation :
Les Etats-Unis ont l'intention de vendre cinq mille missiles antichars Hellfire à l'Irak pour 700 millions de dollars. Cela pour aider Bagdad dans sa lutte contre les insurgés sunnites de l'Etat islamique, qui ont créé un « califat islamique » entre l'Irak et la Syrie. > Retrouvez toutes les dernières informations sur la crise irakienne Les Hellfire, fabriqués par le géant Lockheed Martin, sont notamment utilisés par le Pentagone pour cibler les insurgés liés à Al-Qaida au Pakistan ou au Yémen à l'aide de drones. Cette vente, si elle se confirmait, constituerait le plus vaste stock de Hellfire jamais écoulé en une seule fois par Washington. Des responsables américains ont indiqué mardi 29 juillet que la transaction avait été approuvée par le département d'Etat et devait encore recevoir l'aval des élus du Congrès. Les Etats-Unis ont livré 780 Hellfire à Bagdad depuis le début de l'année, dont 466 en juillet, selon le Pentagone. En août, 366 missiles doivent être livrés. Les Etats-Unis ont exclu d'envoyer des troupes au sol pour épauler l'armée irakienne contre les troupes de l'Etat islamique, qui contrôlent de vastes pans du territoire irakien, dont la deuxième ville du pays, Mossoul. Mais Washington a envoyé des conseillers militaires, a promis d'accélérer ses livraisons d'armes et a laissé ouverte la possibilité de frappes aériennes en Irak.
WASHINGTON, Jul 29, 2014 – The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq for AGM-114K/N/R Hellfire missiles and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $700 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on July 28, 2014.
The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale of 5000 AGM-114K/N/R Hellfire missiles, Hellfire missile conversion, blast fragmentation sleeves and installation kits, containers, transportation, spare and repair parts, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services, and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated cost is $700 million.
WASHINGTON, Jul 29, 2014 – The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to Iraq for aviation sustainment support, on-the-job maintenance training and maintenance advice and associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $500 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on July 28, 2014.
The Government of Iraq has requested a possible sale to establish five years of contractor logistics support for its Bell 407, OH-58, and Huey II aircraft in support of the Iraq Aviation Command. This support will include maintenance support, personnel training and training equipment, publications and technical documentation, site surveys, life support costs, Quality Assurance Teams, U.S. Government and contractor technical, logistics, and engineering support services, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $500 million.
Les réalités de la force aérienne irakienne aujourd’hui
Au moment où Américains, Britanniques, et Français se préparent à livrer des armes et du matériel de soutien militaire aux résistants kurdes en lutte contre les djihadistes de l’État Islamique en Irak et au Levant, arrêtons nous un instant sur l’état réel des forces aériennes irakiennes qui devraient combattre aux côtés justement de ceux armés par les occidentaux. Mais force est de constater que depuis quelques semaines les aviateurs irakiens brillent par leur absence. Déjà disons-le clairement l’aviation militaire irakienne n’est plus en 2014 ce qu’elle fut du temps de l’Irak baasiste quand Britanniques, Français, et Soviétiques avaient fait de Saddam Hussein leur show-room vivant. Alors certes l’URSS est tombée, la dictature aussi, mais cela n’explique pas tout. Car comme dans les années 70 et 80 l’Irak demeure un pays extrêmement riche, enfin surtout son sous-sol. Il faut dire que le conflit de 1990/1991 suite à l’invasion du Koweït par l’Irak a profondément marqué la communauté internationale. Voir les hélicoptères de combat et les avions de chasse vendus à Saddam Hussein parader au-dessus des têtes des habitants de ce petit état indépendant allié des occidentaux a été un véritable électrochoc. Pis encore l’opération internationale menée en priorité par le même triumvirat, et soutenu par l’ONU, n’a pas calmé les ardeurs d’un dictateur qu’on disait alors prêt à aller planter son drapeau jusqu’en Arabie Saoudite ou en Jordanie. Il faudra en fait attendre 2003 pour les USA aient enfin l’occasion de pouvoir terminer ce que l’opinion publique américaine considérait comme un acte manqué : la chute de la dictature baasiste. Et force est de constater que l’administration Bush Jr n’y est pas allé avec le dos de la cuillère. Tel père tel fils ? Alors l’aviation militaire irakienne, très dépendante désormais de Washington-DC, est un reliquat de cette décennie durant laquelle Saddam Hussein était l’ennemi juré d’une Amérique qui avait perdu tous ses repères. Du coup elle est actuellement faite de briques et de brocs, sans réel dessein à long terme, et plutôt orientée uniquement vers les opérations strictement défensives. L’aviation militaire baasiste, sous influence française et soviétique, avait des moyens de services publics, et sous l’influence britannique une forte flotte de transport longue distance. Désormais ces deux facteurs semblent avoir disparus. Reste à savoir si cela est définitif ou temporaire ?
Petit tour d’horizon donc de cette aviation irakienne nouvelle génération.
En premier lieu, et parce que c’est là le symbole fort d’une aviation militaire, la chasse. Ou plutôt la chasse-bombardement. Hormis la grosse dizaine de Sukhoi Su-25 livrés à la va-vite par la Russie au moment de l’offensive djihadiste de ce début d’été 2014, l’Irak n’a plus d’élément de chasse. Elle a bien commandé des F-16C & D Block-52 auprès de Lockheed-Martin mais les premiers de ceux-ci ne seront pas opérationnels avant au plus tôt octobre ou novembre 2014. D’ici là une bonne partie du pays aura eu largement le temps de tomber aux mains de l’EIIL. Et pour le reste me direz vous ? Bah rien. Hormis des avions légers d’entraînement qui peuvent êtres armés et quelques hélicoptères d’appui tactiques.
Les avions d’entraînement justement. On le sait la formation aérienne des futurs pilotes et le maintien en condition des aviateurs est une grosse part des budgets de fonctionnement des forces aériennes. Force est de constater que là par contre l’Irak n’a pas perdu ses acquis. Bien entendu elle n’aligne plus des centaines de jets d’entraînement mais sa flotte est suffisamment conséquente et bien entretenu pour permettre d’instruire correctement les élèves. Une vingtaine de Cessna 172 acquis sur le marché civil permettent la sélection et l’entraînement basique des stagiaires qui passent ensuite sur un avion assez exotique, le Lasta 95. Celui ci est un monomoteur d’entraînement intermédiaire de conception serbe. Réputé plutôt fiable et bon marché là encore c’est une vingtaine d’avions qui servent dans les rangs irakiens. Vient ensuite l’entraînement avancé qui se déroule, comme dans l’US Air Force désormais, sur Beechcraft T-6A Texan II. Pas encore de jets d’entraînement moderne et d’avions d’entraînement au tir, ceux ci sont toujours en commande auprès de la Tchéquie, des États-Unis et de la Corée du Sud. En fait seuls les Lasta 95 et leur 200 kg de charge offensive pourraient apporter un appui aérien rapproché au troupes engagés contre les djihadistes.
Pour combattre il faut connaître l’ennemi, et pour le connaître il faut du renseignement de la reconnaissance aéroporté. Outre les douze drones ultralégers RQ-11 Raven livrés par les Américains en 2010 l’Irak dispose d’une petite flotte d’avions de reconnaissance non négligeable. Notamment une dizaine de Cessna 208 Caravan monoturbopropulseurs dont quelques-uns ont la capacité de tirer des missiles légers AGM-114 Hellfire. Les autres disposent d’une panoplie de capteurs dont des FLIR et des radars à ouverture synthétique. Une dizaine de Beechcraft Super King Air 350ISR viennent les renforcer avec des systèmes derniers cris. Ceux ci ont clairement pour rôle de traquer les djihadistes, et notamment leurs communications via les téléphones portables.
Alors certes comme du temps de Saddam Hussein l’aviation irakienne repose une partie de ses moyens aériens de combat sur les voilures tournantes, et force est de constater que là aussi elle a perdu de sa superbe. Fini les centaines d’hélicoptères made-in France ou made-in URSS alignés comme à la parade. Désormais l’Irak se serre la ceinture. Niveau appareils de combat elle peut compter sur la demi-douzaine de Mi-35 livrés par la Russie en même temps que les Su-25 et qui viennent renforcer la vingtaine d’Eurocopter EC635 armés de pods-canons et de paniers à roquettes. Elle a aussi commencé à réceptionner ses Bell 407 AS équipés eux aussi pour l’appui aérien rapproché. Pour le reste, c’est à dire les liaisons, l’assaut , et l’évacuation sanitaire ses appareils sont globalement désarmés, à l’exception parfois de mitrailleuses tirant en sabord et destiné à l’autodéfense : Mil Mi-17, Gazelle, UH-1H, Bell 206B et OH-58C, et Bell 412EP et HP. Au total une petite centaine de machines tout de même. Il ne faut pas oublier que malgré les demandes faites à Moscou, les Hip irakiens, pourtant récents, ne disposent d’aucun systèmes d’autoprotection, en faisant donc des cibles de choix pour les combattants de l’EIIL.
Niveau avion de transport ce n’est encore pas là franchement réjouissant. Une grosse vingtaine d’avions, dont une majorité de King Air de transport léger et de liaisons rapides. En fait seule la dizaine de Hercules (des C-130E de seconde main et des C-130J-30 neufs) acquis auprès des USA et la demi-douzaine d’An 32 achetés aux Ukrainiens semblent avoir de véritables capacités tactiques.
Voilà en gros les réelles capacités actuelles de l’Irak. Il est à noter que les djihadistes disposent de plusieurs types de missiles sol-air portatifs légers (types SA-7 ou Stinger) et qu’ils s’en servent assez souvent contre cette aviation militaire. Alors certes l’Irak actuelle négocie avec les Américains et les Européens pour des matériels récents, mais ces pourparlers sont longs, notamment en raison du manque de stabilité politique du pays. Ainsi les militaires irakiens n’ont jamais caché s’intéresser de près au Black Hawk, à l’EC 645, et au Bell 429. Certains experts internationaux annoncent même que l’aviation irakienne aimerait racheter les Mirage F1-CT retirés du service par l’Armée de l’Air et stockés sous cocon au sein de la Base Aérienne 279 de Châteaudun.
Symbole fort d’une Irak passée sous influence américaine, le Bell 206B Jet-Ranger. Quoi qu’il en soit cela apporte un éclairage sur le pourquoi du comment du silence des médias internationaux par rapport à la chasse irakienne dans ce conflit. Elle n’existe quasiment pas, hormis sur le papier. De ce fait on comprend encore mieux l’empressement des dirigeants de Bagdad à voir l’US Navy venir bombarder les positions ennemies. En espérant que ce petit topo vous aidera à mieux cerner cette aviation irakienne actuelle.
Prague vend à l'Irak 15 avions d'entraînement et de combat L-159
La République tchèque vendra à l'Irak quinze avions d'entraînement et de combat L-159 fabriqués par l'avionneur Aero Vodochody (banlieue nord de Prague), provenant des surplus de l'armée tchèque, a annoncé jeudi le ministre de la Défense, Martin Stropnicky.
"Le ministère de la Défense vendra à l'Irak quinze avions pour un prix total d'environ 750 millions de couronnes (27 millions d'euros)", a déclaré le ministre devant la presse. M. Stropnicky a rappelé que le gouvernement tchèque avait donné la veille son feu vert aux livraisons aux Kurdes d'Irak de munitions pour une valeur de 1,5 million d'euros.
La vente des L-159 à l'Irak "va dans la même direction", a noté le ministre tchèque, selon qui les jihadistes de l'Etat islamique représentent "actuellement l'une des plus grandes menaces sécuritaires". Le contrat porte sur treize avions L-159 en version monoplace dont deux seront utilisés comme source de pièces détachées, et deux appareils en version biplace. "Le contrat prévoit aussi les livraisons de l'équipement au sol, des pièces détachées, de l'armement et de la munition ainsi que l'entraînement des pilotes et du personnel au sol", a déclaré le président d'Aero Vodochody, Ladislav Simek.
Plusieurs "démarches techniques" sont encore à effectuer pour la finalisation du contrat échelonné sur deux ans et demi, dont des questions liées à l'assurance du côté tchèque et le dépôt d'une garantie de paiement par la partie irakienne, a noté Marek Dospiva de la société Penta, propriétaire d'Aero Vodochody.
L'Irak avait déjà manifesté en 2012 son intérêt pour l'achat de 28 avions du même type, mais le contrat déjà signé n'a pas pris effet.
Aero Vodochody a fabriqué pour l'armée tchèque 72 appareils de ce type, pour 51 milliards de couronnes (1,83 milliard d'euros). L'armée tchèque n'en a cependant gardé qu'une trentaine, à la suite de coupes budgétaires.
Le ministère de la Défense avait également conclu en juillet un accord sur la vente de quatorze autres L-159 à la firme américaine Draken International, pour environ 220 millions de couronnes (7,9 millions d'euros). L'avion L-159 peut être équipé de missiles air-air et air-sol. Environ 80% des composants des L-159 sont de provenance étrangère, notamment américaine.
Sous l'ancien régime communiste, Aero Vodochody produisait les avions d'entraînement L-29 Delfin et L-39 Albatros, vendus à des milliers d'exemplaires aux pays du bloc soviétique et du Tiers-Monde.
BAGHDAD - Iraq has received Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters and will use them against militants who have overrun large parts of the country, the defence ministry said on Saturday.
A ministry statement did not specify how many of the heavily armoured two-seat gunships it has received or what it paid for them.
But a video posted on its website showed a hangar containing multiple desert camouflage-painted Mi-28s, which are capable of all-weather and day and night operation.
Militants led by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group launched a major offensive in June, sweeping Iraqi security forces aside and overrunning most of the country's Sunni heartland.
While the relentless militant advance has since been checked, Iraqi forces are struggling to push them back.
Lacking air support poses a major challenge for Iraqi forces, and Baghdad is seeking to bolster its fledgling helicopter and warplane fleets.
It has already bought Russian Mi-35 helicopters and Su-25 ground attack aircraft, has F-16 warplanes on order from the United States and is seeking American AH-64 Apache attack helicopters as well
http://www.interaksyon.com
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Apache Sale to Iraq Thrown Into Doubt Because of Iraqi Inaction
WASHINGTON — A proposed $4.8 billion sale to Iraq of the latest Apache AH-64E helicopter may have fallen through because Baghdad failed to sign an offer made by the US government for 24 of the aircraft.
After the Pentagon sent a letter of notification to Congress in January, the US government made Baghdad a formal offer for the helicopters — along with spare parts and a comprehensive training program — but the Iraqis “never accepted it (and did not ask for an extension on the offer) and it expired in August,” US Army Security Assistance Command spokeswoman Kim Gillespie told Defense News in an email.
A State Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that while Foreign Military Sales cases like this normally have a timeline after which they expire, nothing has yet been formally canceled. The United States continues to work the deal with Baghdad along with more potential FMS cases that could be worth billions of dollars. If the pricing on the potential contract changes, however, the entire congressional notification process would have to start over.
The potential $4.8 billion deal also included radars, night vision equipment, 480 Hellfire missiles, electronic jamming equipment, 30mm automatic chain guns and assorted ammunition. Including the spare and repair parts, support equipment, and more than 200 contractors to provide personnel training, it would have been a major win for Apache maker Boeing and its subcontractors.
Boeing referred all questions about the deal to the US Army.
It was widely believed that Baghdad wanted the fast-moving Apache attack helicopters to battle the Islamic State (IS) group and affiliated Sunni groups who have taken vast swaths of northern and western Iraq away from Baghdad’s control.
However, “I can imagine that Iraq believes they now have a decent and growing fleet of armored attack helos and there is no need to rush a deal for helos that are very expensive and arrive slowly,” said Michel Knights, an expert on the Iraqi military at The Washington Institute. He added that there may be “some Iranian influence” at work in the decision, as well.
Over the summer, the Obama administration fast-tracked the shipment of 1,100 hellfire missiles to Iraq, which affixes them to its Russian-made helicopters and Cessna fixed-wing airplanes.
In July, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States, Lukman Faily, made a plea for the expedited shipment of 36 F-16 fighter planes to Iraq, the first two of which are not slated to be delivered until this fall. Faily complained about the delays in sending both the fighters and the helicopters, calling it “a chapter we could have prevented. It was stuck in Congress, and it was stuck in the White House, and that delay has had an adverse impact on us. Even if we pay the bills now the pilots are not in place.”
The bureaucratic delay “also has created questions for us back home” about Washington’s commitment to Iraq, he warned.
Over the summer, Moscow quickly shipped Mi-35 helicopter gunships and at least five Su-25 fighter planes to Baghdad.
The Iraqi Embassy did not respond to several requests for comment, but the White House has announced that President Barack Obama will meet with new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi while attending the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.
While the Iraq deal might have fallen through, on Saturday Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke with Egyptian Minister of Defense Gen. Sedki Sobhy, and confirmed that the US would lift the hold on delivery of 10 AH-64D Apaches to Egypt “to support their counterterrorism efforts” in the Sinai, according to a Pentagon statement.
The delivery of the “D” models will “close out production of the D model,” Gillespie said. All further Apache builds will be of the upgraded “E” model.
The order for the 10 Apaches was placed in 2010 to add to the 35 Apaches that the Egyptian Air Force has been flying since 2003.
The shipment was placed on hold after the July 2013 Egyptian military overthrow of the democratically elected government of Mohamed Morsi. This eventually lead to the chief of staff of the Army, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, retiring from the military and himself being elected president.
In April, the Pentagon announced that the hold would be lifted for the Apaches, and US Secretary of State John Kerry told al-Sisi in July that the Apaches would be delivered as soon as possible.
The US government is still refusing to ship other items to Egypt, however, including Lockheed Martin-built F-16 C and D aircraft, components for General Dynamics M1A1 tanks, and Boeing’s Harpoon anti-ship missiles. ■
http://www.defensenews.com
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Ven 5 Sep - 14:09
