Iraqi Air Force
Iraqi Air Force | |
---|---|
| |
![]() Seal of the Iraq Air Force | |
Founded | 22 April 1931 |
Country | ![]() |
Branch | Air force |
Role | Aerial warfare |
Size | Approximately 5,000 (2024)[1] ca. 369 aircraft[2] |
Headquarters | Baghdad |
Colours | Grey & White |
Anniversaries | April 22 (Air Force Day)[3] |
Engagements |
|
Commanders | |
Current commander | Lieutenant General |
The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF or IrAF) (
; the current commander is Gen. Shihab Jahid Ali.The Iraqi Air Force was founded in 1931, during the period of British control in Iraq after their defeat of the Ottomans in the First World War, with only a few pilots. The Iraqi Air Force operated mostly
After the invasion, the IQAF was rebuilt, receiving most of its training and aircraft from the United States. In 2007, Iraq asked Iran to return some of the scores of Iraqi fighter planes that flew there to escape destruction during the Persian Gulf War in 1991.[5] As of 2014, Iran was receptive to the demands and was working on refurbishing an unspecified number of jets.[6][7]
History
The first 10 years: 1931-1941
The Iraqi Air Force considers its founding day as 22 April 1931. This day, the first Royal Iraqi Air Force (RIrAF) pilots returned to the country from training in the
In the years following Iraqi independence, the Air Force was still dependent on the
The RIrAF's first combat against another conventional military was in the 1941
Reconstruction and growth: 1941-1967
The Anglo-Iraqi War left the RIrAF shattered. Several squadrons had all of their aircraft destroyed, while lots of officers and pilots had been killed or had fled to neighbouring countries. Due to the destruction of the Flying School's entire aircraft inventory, training of new pilots only restarted six years after the war. Flying hours were also limited by the British authorities, which confiscated three of the remaining Gloster Gladiators in March 1942. Despite Iraqi attempts to buy some new aircraft, the only ones the British were ready to provide were some worn-out Gladiators: although 30 were delivered between September 1942 and May 1944, most of them were in such a state that they could only be used as sources of spare parts. From 1944 to 1947, 33 Avro Ansons were acquired. Despite these hurdles, the RIrAF helped put down the 1943 Barzani revolt.[21] In late 1946, the Iraqis reached an agreement with the British, under which they would return their surviving Avro Ansons, in exchange for the authorisation to order 30 Hawker Fury F.Mk.1 fighters and two Fury T.Mk.52 two-seat trainers. The next year, three de Havilland Doves and three Bristol Freighters were ordered.[22]
The RIrAF was still recovering from its destruction during the Anglo-Iraqi War
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2d/DH.100_Vampire_FB52_342_Iraq_A.F._Ringway_07.08.53_edited-2.jpg/220px-DH.100_Vampire_FB52_342_Iraq_A.F._Ringway_07.08.53_edited-2.jpg)
In the early 1950s, thanks to increased income from oil and agricultural exports, the RIrAF was thoroughly re-equipped. In 1951, 15 each of
However, this plan was never realised. Following the
Tom Cooper and Stefan Kuhn list the air force's squadrons in 1961 as:[31]
- 1st Squadron, Venom FB.Mk.1, based at Habbaniyah AB, CO Capt. A.-Mun'em Ismaeel
- 2nd Squadron (Iraq), Mi-4, based at Rashid AB, CO Maj. Wahiq Ibraheem Adham
- 3rd Squadron (Iraq), An-12B, based at Rashid AB, CO Capt. Taha Ahmad Mohammad Rashid
- Kirkuk Air Base, CO Maj. A. Latif
- 5th Squadron (Iraq), MiG-17F, based at Rashid AB, CO Maj. Khalid Sarah Rashid
- 6th Squadron, Hunter FGA.59/A/B, based at Habbaniyah AB, CO Capt. Hamid Shaban
- 7th Squadron, Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F, based at Kirkuk, CO Maj. Ne'ma Abdullah Dulaimy
- 8th Squadron, Il-28, based at Rasheed Air Base, CO Maj. Adnan Ameen Rashid
- 9th Squadron, MiG-19, in process of formation.
The IrAF received approximately 30 MiG-19S', 10 MiG-19Ps, and 10 MiG-19PMs in 1959 and 1960. However, only 16 MiG-19S' were ever taken up; the other aircraft were not accepted due to their poor technical condition, and remained stored in Basra. The accepted MiG-19S' were operated from Rasheed Air Base by the 9th Squadron. Their service in Iraq didn't last long however: the survivors were donated to Egypt around 1964.[32] Iraq also received MiG-21F-13 and Tupolev Tu-16 bombers starting in 1962.[33]
The
In 1966, Iraqi Captain
Six-Day War
During the Six-Day War, the IrAF bombed several air bases and land targets. On 6 June 1967, a group of four Tupolev Tu-16 bombers was sent to attack Ramat David Airbase. Two of them had to abort due to technical difficulties, and another was shot down by Israelis, killing the crew of five.[35] The IrAF also played a significant role in supporting Jordanian troops.[3] The Iraqi Air Force had one Pakistani pilot, Saiful Azam, who claimed two kills against Israeli aircraft over the H-3 air base in a Hawker Hunter.[36] Iraqi Hunter pilots were officially credited for shooting down a further four Israeli aircraft, and another one was credited to anti-aircraft guns.[37] Thanks to its Hunters and MiG-21s, the IrAF was successfully able to defend its bases in western Iraq from additional Israeli attacks.[9]
1970s and the Yom Kippur War
Throughout this decade, the IQAF grew in size and capability, as the
Before the
The 1970s also saw a series of fierce
1980s and war with Iran
Between the autumn of 1980 and the summer of 1990, the number of aircraft in the IQAF went from 332 to over 1000.
The IQAF had to instead fight with obsolete
During late 1981, it was soon clear that the modern
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/USS_Stark_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-USS_Stark_%28cropped%29.jpg)
The IQAF generally played a major role in the war against Iran by striking airbases, military infrastructure, industrial infrastructure such as factories, powerplants and oil facilities, as well as systematically bombing urban areas in
By 1987 the Iraqi Air Force had a large modern military infrastructure, with modern air logistics centers, air depots, maintenance and repair facilities, and some production capabilities.
Notable Iraqi pilots of the Iran–Iraq War
Unlike many other nations with modern air forces, Iraq was engaged in an intense and protracted war. The 8 year long conflict with
Captain
Captain Salah I. was also a distinguished pilot during this period flying a Mirage F1, achieving a double kill against two F-4Es on 2 December 1981 while he was part of the 79th Squadron.[47]
1990s – Persian Gulf War and no-fly zones
In August 1990, Iraq had the largest air force in the region even after the long Iran–Iraq War. The air force at that time had 934 combat-capable aircraft (including trainers) in its inventory. Theoretically, the IQAF should have been 'hardened' by the conflict with Iran, but post-war purges of the IQAF leadership and other personnel decimated the air force, as the Iraqi regime struggled to bring it back under total control.[43] Training was brought to a minimum during the whole of 1990.
The table below shows the Iraqi Air Force at the start of the Persian Gulf War, its losses, damaged aircraft, flights to Iran and remaining assets at the end of the Persian Gulf War. A portion of the aircraft damaged may have been repairable or else used for spare parts. This is a combination of losses both in the air (23–36 aircraft)[48] and on the ground (227 aircraft) and exclude the helicopters and aircraft that belonged to Iraqi Army Aviation, Iraqi Navy and the Aviation wing of the Iraqi Department of Border Enforcement.[49]
Aircraft | 1990 | destroyed | damaged | to Iran | survived |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mirage F1EQ/BQ | 88 | 23 | 6 | 24 | 35 |
Mirage F1K (Kuwaiti) | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Su-7BMK | 54 | ||||
Su-20 |
18 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
Su-22 R |
10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
Su-22 M2 |
24 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
Su-22 M3 |
16 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
Su-22 UM3 |
25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 21 |
Su-22 M4 |
28 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 6 |
Su-24MK | 30 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 1 |
Su-25K/UBK | 72 | 31 | 8 | 7 | 26 |
MiG-19C/Shenyang J-6 | 45 | ||||
MiG-21MF/bis/F-7B | 236 | 65 | 46 | 0 | 115 |
MiG-23 BN |
38 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 18 |
MiG-23ML | 39 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 17 |
MiG-23MF | 14 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
MiG-23MS | 15 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 9 |
MiG-23UM | 21 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
MiG-25U | 7 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
MiG-25RB | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
MiG-25PD/PDS/PU/R | 19 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
MiG-29 A |
33 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 13 |
MiG-29 UB |
4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Tu-16/KSR-2-11 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tu-22B/U | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Xian H-6 D |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
An-26 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
Ilyushin Il-76 | 19 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
Dassault Falcon 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Dassault Falcon 50 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Lockheed Jetstar |
6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Aero L-39 Albatros | 67 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 66 |
Embraer Tucano | 78 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 64 |
FFA AS-202 Bravo |
34 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
Eloris trainer | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
BAC Jet Provost | 20 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
MBB/Kawasaki BK 117 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
During the 1991
The MiG-25 force (
The second air-air kill was recorded by a pilot named Jameel Sayhood on January nineteenth. Flying a
On 30 January 1991, an IQAF MiG-25 hit and damaged a USAF F-15C with an R-40 missile in the Samurra Air Battle. Iraq claims it was shot down (pilot ejected) and subsequently the aircraft crashed in Saudi Arabia.[52]
An Iraqi Mirage F-1 piloted by Capt. Nafie Al-Jubouri successfully downed an American EF-111 Raven through aerial maneuvering as it crashed while attempting to avoid a missile fired by Al-Jubouri.[53][54]
In another incident, an Iraqi
In an effort to demonstrate their own air offensive capability, on 24 January the Iraqis attempted to mount a strike against the major Saudi oil refinery in Abqaiq. Two Mirage F-1 fighters laden with incendiary bombs and two MiG-23s (along as fighter cover) took off. They were spotted by USAF Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft, and two Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s were sent to intercept. When the Saudis appeared the Iraqi MiGs turned tail, but the Mirages pressed on. Captain Ayedh Al-Shamrani, one of the Saudi pilots, maneuvered his jet behind the Mirages and shot down both aircraft. After this episode, the Iraqis made no more air efforts of their own, sending most of their jets to Iran in hopes that they might someday get their Air Force back. (Iran returned seven Su-25s in 2014.)[55]
During the Persian Gulf War, most Iraqi pilots and aircraft (of French and Soviet origin) fled to Iran to escape the bombing campaign because no other country would allow them sanctuary. The Iranians impounded these aircraft after the war and returned seven Su-25s in 2014, while putting the rest in the service of the
These included: Mirage F1s EQ1/2/4/5/6, Su-20 and Su-22M2/3/4 Fitters, Su-24MK Fencer-Ds, Su-25K/UBK Frogfoots, MiG-23ML Floggers, MiG-29A/UB (product 9.12B) Fulcrums and a number of Il-76s, including the one-off AEW-AWACS prototype Il-76 "ADNAN 1". Also, prior to Operation Desert Storm, 19 Iraqi Mig-21s and MiG-23s were sent to Yugoslavia for servicing, but were never returned due to international sanctions.[58] In 2009, the Iraqi government briefly sought the return of the fighters, but they were disassembled and would have been costly to repair and return.[58][59]
Persian Gulf War aircraft losses by coalition forces
Aircraft | Origin | No. Shot Down | No. To Iran |
---|---|---|---|
MiG-21 | Soviet Union | 4 | 0 |
MiG-23 | 9 | 12 | |
MiG-25 | 2 | 0 | |
MiG-29
|
6 | 4 | |
Su-7 | 4 | ||
Su-17 | |||
Su-20
|
0 | 4 | |
Su-22
|
2 | 40 | |
Su-24 | 0 | 24 | |
Su-25 | 2 | 7 | |
Ilyushin Il-76 | 1 | 15 | |
Mil Mi-8 | 1 | 0 | |
Mirage F-1
|
France | 9 | 24 |
Total Number Loss[60] | 36 | 137 |
The Iraqi air force itself lists its air-to-air losses at 23 airframes[48] compared to the US claims of 44. Similarly, the Allies initially acknowledged no losses in air combat to the Iraqi air force, and only in 1995 acknowledged one loss. After 2003 the Allies acknowledged a second loss, but a further two Iraqi claims and one probable are still listed by the Allies as lost to "ground fire" rather than an Iraqi fighter. Generally at least three Iraqi pilots are relatively agreed upon to have scored victories against coalition aircraft in aerial combat.
As well as the Persian Gulf war, the IQAF was also involved in the
After the Persian Gulf War, the air force consisted only of a sole Su-24 (nicknamed "waheeda" in the Iraqi airforce which translates to roughly "the lonely") and a single squadron of
In 2008, the Defense Technical Information Center released the top-secret archives of the Saddam-era Iraqi Air Force, shedding light on the true losses and operations of the Air Force during 1991.[49]
Inventory in the 1991 Persian Gulf War]
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat Aircraft | ||||||
Mirage F1 | France | Fighter | Mirage F1EQ/BQ | 88 | ||
Sukhoi Su-20 | Soviet Union | Ground attack | 18 | |||
Sukhoi Su-22 | Soviet Union | Ground attack | Su-22 M2/M3/M4
|
133 | ||
Sukhoi Su-24 | Soviet Union | Interdiction/Strike | Su-24MK | 30 | ||
Sukhoi Su-25 | Soviet Union | Ground attack | Su-25K/UBK | 72 | ||
MiG-21 | Soviet Union/China | Fighter | MiG-21MF/bis/F-7B | 236 | ||
MiG-23 | Soviet Union | Ground attack | MiG-23BN | 38 | ||
MiG-23 | Soviet Union | Fighter | MiG-23MS/MF | 29 | ||
MiG-23 | Soviet Union | Fighter | MiG-23ML | 39 | ||
MiG-25 | Soviet Union | Interceptor | MiG-25PD/PDS/PU/R/RB | 35 | ||
MiG-29 | Soviet Union | Fighter | MiG-29 UB
|
37 | ||
Tupolev Tu-16 | Soviet Union | Bomber | Tu-16/KSR-2-11 | 3 | ||
Tupolev Tu-22 | Soviet Union | Bomber | Tu-22B/U | 4 | ||
Xian H-6
|
China | Bomber | Xian H-6 D
|
4 | ||
BAC Jet Provost | United Kingdom | Attack | 20 | |||
Transport | ||||||
Antonov An-26 | Soviet Union | Transport | 5 | |||
Ilyushin Il-76 | Soviet Union | Cargo | 19 | |||
Dassault Falcon 20 | France | VIP Transport | 2 | |||
Dassault Falcon 50 | France | VIP Transport | 3 | |||
Lockheed Jetstar | USA | VIP Transport | 1 | |||
Trainers | ||||||
Aero L-39 Albatros | Czechoslovakia | Trainer/COIN | ||||
Embraer Tucano | Brazil | Trainer/COIN | ||||
FFA AS-202 Bravo
|
Switzerland | Trainer |
2003-led US invasion of Iraq
By early 2003, Iraq's air power numbered an estimated 180 combat aircraft, of which only about half were flyable.[62] In late 2002, a Yugoslav weapons company provided servicing for the MiG-21s and MiG-23s, violating UN sanctions.[62] An aviation institute in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, supplied the engines and spare parts.[63] These however, were too late to improve the condition of Iraq's air force.
On the brink of the
During the occupation phase, most of Iraq's combat aircraft (J-7, MiG-23s, MiG-25s, SU-20/22, Su-25 and some MiG-29s) were found by American and Australian forces in poor condition at several air bases throughout the country while others were discovered buried.[66] Most of the IQAF's aircraft were destroyed during and after the invasion, and all remaining equipment was junked or scrapped in the immediate aftermath of the war. None of the aircraft acquired during Saddam's time remained in service.[60]
Post-invasion
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/be/Defense.gov_News_Photo_060711-F-4961B-901.jpg/220px-Defense.gov_News_Photo_060711-F-4961B-901.jpg)
The Iraqi Air Force, like all Iraqi forces after the
In December 2004, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense signed two contracts with the Polish defence consortium BUMAR.
The second contract, worth US$105 million, was to supply the Iraqi air force with 24 second-hand Russian-made, re-worked Mi-17 (Hips).[69] As of 2008, 8 had been delivered and 2 more were on their way. The Mi-17s were reported to have some attack capability.[70]
On 18 November 2005, the Coalition Air Force Transition Team (CAFTT), part of
On March 4, 2007, the air force carried out its first medical evacuation in the city of Baghdad when an injured police officer was airlifted to a hospital.
In 2009 the first of several Iraqi officers completed their flying training at RAF Cranwell, a development with echos of the Iraqi Air Force's early beginnings.[74]
It was reported in December 2007 that a deal had been reached between the Iraqi government and Serbia for the sale of arms and other military equipment including 36
On October 14, 2008, Aviation Week reported that two
Over the summer of 2008, the Defense Department announced that the Iraqi government wanted to order more than 400 armored vehicles and other equipment worth up to $3 billion, and six C-130J transport planes, worth up to $1.5 billion.[80]
Iraq was due to buy 28 Czech-made
2010s
Throughout 2010 and 2011, the Iraqi government and the MoI announced intentions to buy
The Iraqi cabinet specified a sum of $900m as a first installment of $3b worth of aircraft, equipment, spare parts, and training.The deal to buy the F-16 fighters seemed to teeter as the GoI reversed its decision on 12 February and wanted to divert the initial sum of $900m to economic reconstruction.[89][90] However, on the 12 July 2011, the GoI re-iterated its interest in the F-16s due to the pending withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, and later the number of fighters to be purchased was doubled to 36.[91][92][93][94]
Iraq's air space was unguarded from December 2011 until 18 F-16IQ Block 52 jet fighters and their pilots were ready.[95][96][97] The first Iraqi F-16 made its inaugural flight in May 2014.[98] It was officially delivered to the IQAF in a ceremony at Fort Worth, Texas, on 5 June 2014.[99]
In October 2012, it was reported that Russia and Iraq may sign a $4.2–$5.0 billion weapons contract, including 30 Mi-28N helicopters.[100] The deal was reportedly cancelled due to Iraqi concerns of corruption,[101] but that concern was addressed, and the Iraqi defense minister stated that "the deal is going ahead."[102] Despite early complications, all parts of the $4.2 billion contracts were signed, and are being executed. The first contract for 10 Mi-28NE helicopters for Iraq will begin delivery in September 2013.[103] A batch of 13 Mi-28NE helicopters was delivered in January 2014.[104]
On 26 June 2014, Prime Minister
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/81/Iraq_Air_Force_T-6A.jpg/220px-Iraq_Air_Force_T-6A.jpg)
On 13 July 2015, the Iraqi Air Force received its first batch of F-16 fighters.
In December 2014, during a meeting between leaders of Iraq and the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Iraqi_Air_Force_UH-1.jpg/220px-Iraqi_Air_Force_UH-1.jpg)
On 6–7, April 2019, IQAF received six new F-16s.[116] According to Brigadier Yahya Rasool, Ministry of Defence (Iraq)'s Security Media Cell spokesperson, the latest delivery brought Iraq's F-16 fleet to 27.[117]
Among operating squadrons of the air force today are: 3rd Squadron; 9th Squadron (F-16s); 23rd Squadron; 70th Squadron; 87th Squadron (B 350ER); 109th Squadron (Sukhoi Su-25); 115th Squadron (L-159); and possibly 2nd Squadron.
Air Force commanders
- 1930–1931, Natiq Muhammad Khalil at-Tayi[118]
- 1931–1932, Mohammed Ali Jawad[118]
- 1932–1933, Ibrahim Hamdi ar-Rawi[118]
- 1933–1936, Ismail Ibrahim Namaq[118]
- 1936 (January–June), Shakir Abdul Wahhab[118]
- 1936 (June–November), Khalid al-Zahrawi[118]
- 1936, Mohammed Ali Jawad[12]
- 1937 (12-14 August), Shakir al-Wadi[118]
- 1937 (August–October), Salah ad-Din as-Sabagh[118]
- 1937–1938, Akram Mushtak[118]
- 1938–1941, Mahmud Salman[118]
- 1941–1954, Brigadier Sami Fattah al-Musli[118]
- 1954 (May–October), Munir Abbass Hilmi Moheidin[118]
- 1954-14 July 1958, Abdul Kadhim Abaddi[118]
- 1958–1963, Jalal Jaffar Al-Awqati[118]
- 1963 (February–March), Arif Abd ar-Razzaq[118]
- 1963 (March–December), Hardan al-Tikriti[119]
- 1963–1965, Arif Abd ar-Razzaq[118]
- 1965–1966, Munir Abbass Hilmi Moheidin[118]
- 1966–1968, Jassam Mohammed Al-Saher[120]
- 1968–1970, Hardan al-Tikriti[118]
- 1970–1973, Hiyawi Hamash at-Tikriti[121]
- 1973–1976, Nimma Abdullah ad-Dulaimi[122]
- 1976–1978, Hamid Sha'ban at-Tikriti[123]
- 1978–1984, Mohammed Jassim Hanish al-Jaboury[124]
- 1985, Air Marshal Hamid Sha'aban[125]
- 1985–1994, Muzahim Sa'b Hassan al-Tikriti[126]
- 1994–2003, Hamid Raja Shalah[127]
- 2005–2008 Kamal Barzanji
- 2008–2019 Anwar Hamad Amin
- 2019–present Shihab Jahid Ali
Aircraft
Current inventory
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Iraqi_Air_Force_F-16_Fighting_Falcon_flies_over_an_undisclosed_location_July_18_2019.jpg/220px-Iraqi_Air_Force_F-16_Fighting_Falcon_flies_over_an_undisclosed_location_July_18_2019.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Iraqi_Air_Force_Cessna_208_Caravan_training_mission.jpg/220px-Iraqi_Air_Force_Cessna_208_Caravan_training_mission.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a2/Iraqi_Air_Force_C-130_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Iraqi_Air_Force_C-130_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Combat Aircraft | |||||
Aero L-159
|
Czech Republic | Light attack | L-159A
|
10[128] | One conversion training
|
Sukhoi Su-25 | Russia | Attack | 19[128] | 5 used for conversion training
| |
Cessna 208 | United States | Attack | AC-208 | 2[2] | Modified for ground attack |
F-16 Fighting Falcon | United States | multirole | F-16C/D/IQ | 32[128] | 8 conversion training
|
Reconnaissance | |||||
Cessna 208 | United States | Reconnaissance | RC-208 | 6[2] | Four provide training |
AMD Alarus | United States | Surveillance | SAMA CH2000 | 7[2] | |
Super King Air | United States | Surveillance | 350ER | 6[2] | |
DHC-6 Twin Otter | Canada | Surveillance | 2[2] | STOL capable aircraft | |
Transport | |||||
Super King Air | United States | Utility / transport | 350 | 1[2] | |
C-130 Hercules | United States | Tactical airlifter | C-130E | 3[2] | In store[128] |
C-130J Super Hercules | United States | Tactical airlifter | 6[2] | ||
Antonov An-32 | Ukraine | Transport | An-32B | 6[2] | Two are combat capable[128] |
Helicopters
| |||||
Bell 412 | United States | Utility | 12 on order[2] | ||
Mil Mi-8 | Russia | Transport | 2[2] | ||
Aérospatiale Gazelle | France | Scout / anti-armor | SA342 | 6[2] | |
Trainer Aircraft
| |||||
Bell 206 | United States | Rotorcraft trainer | 9[2] | ||
Lasta 95 | Serbia | Light trainer | 19[2] | ||
KAI T-50 | South Korea | LIFT
|
T-50IQ | 24[2] | |
T-6 Texan II | United States | Trainer | T-6A | 15[2] | |
MFI-17 Mushshak | Pakistan | Trainer | MFI-395 | 4 | 8 on order[2] |
UAV | |||||
CH-5 | China | MALE UCAV
|
unknown[129][130] | ||
CH-4 | China | MALE UCAV
|
CH-4B
|
1[131] | |
Bayraktar TB2
|
Turkey | UCAV | 8 on order[132] |
Squadrons
Rank insignia
Commissioned officer ranks
The rank insignia of
Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | Officer cadet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|||||||||||||||||||||||||
مشیر Mushir |
فريق أول Fariq 'awal
|
فريق Fariq
|
لواء Liwa |
عميد Amid |
عقيد Aqid |
مقدم Muqaddam |
رائد Ra'id |
نقيب Naqib |
ملازم أول Mulazim awwal
|
ملازم Mulazim
|
Other ranks
The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel.
Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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رقيب أول Raqib 'awal |
رقیب Raqib |
عريف Earif |
جندي أول Jundiun awwal |
جندي Jundiun |
See also
- List of Iraqi Air Force aircraft squadrons
- Abed Hamed Mowhoush
References
- ISBN 978-1032780047.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Hoyle, Craig (2023). "World Air Forces 2024". Flight Global. Flightglobal Insight. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Iraqi Air Force". Global security IQAF. globalsecurity.org. 2005. Archived from the original on 10 September 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
- ^ BRODER, JOHN M.; JEHL, DOUGLAS (13 August 1990). "Iraqi Army: World's 5th Largest but Full of Vital Weaknesses : Military: It will soon be even larger. But its senior staff is full of incompetents, and only a third of its troops are experienced". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ Colvin, Ross (5 August 2007). "Iraq air force wants Iran to give back its planes". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
- ^ "With new US planes slow to arrive, Iraq seeks remnants of Saddam's air force to bomb ISIL". 28 June 2014. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ "Iraq cobbling together makeshift air force to fight ISIS". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ^ Sipos & Cooper 2020, p. 13
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cooper, Tom (2003). "Iraqi Air Force Since 1948 Part 1". Air Combat Information Group. Archived from the original on 10 July 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
- ^ Sipos & Cooper 2020, p. 14
- ^ Sipos & Cooper 2020, pp. 15–16
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-40078-7.
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Further reading
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Cooper, Tom (July–August 2002). "'Floggers" in Action: Early MiG-23s in Operational Service". ISSN 0143-5450.
- "Iran-Iraq War in the Air, 1980–1988", by T. Cooper & F. Bishop, Schiffer 2003, ISBN 07643-1669-9
- "Iraqi Fighters, 1953–2003: Camouflage & Markings", by Brig. Gen. A. Sadik & T. Cooper, Harpia Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-0-615-21414-6
- "Hawker Hunters at War: Iraq and Jordan, 1958–1967", by T. Cooper & P. Salti, Helion & Co., 2016, ISBN 978-1-911096-25-2
- Cooper, Tom (2018). MiG-23 Flogger in the Middle East, Mikoyan i Gurevich MiG-23 in Service in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya and Syria, 1973-2018. Warwick: Helion & Company Publishing. ISBN 978-1-912-390328.
- Cooper, Tom; Sipos, Milos (2019). Iraqi Mirages. The Dassault Mirage Family in Service with the Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988. Helion & Company Publishing. ISBN 978-1-912-390311.
- Delalande, Arnaud (2016). Iraqi Air Power Reborn, The Iraqi air arms since 2004. Houston: Harpia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9854554-7-7.
- "Iraqi Mirages in Combat: The Story of the F.1EQ in Iraq", by Miguel Garcia, 2018, ISBN 978-1717467553
- Sipos, Milos; Cooper, Tom (2020). Wings of Iraq, Volume 1: The Iraqi Air Force, 1931-1970. Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. ISBN 978-1-913118-74-7.
- Sipos, Milos; Cooper, Tom (2022). Wings of Iraq, Volume 2: The Iraqi Air Force, 1970-1980. Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. ISBN 978-1-914377-17-4.