Iraqi Navy

Iraqi Naval Forces
القوات البحرية العراقية
Emblem of the Iraqi Navy
Founded	12 August 1937 (As Coastal Defense Force) 12 January 2005 (as the Iraqi Naval Forces Command)
Country	Iraq
Type	Navy
Role	Naval warfare
Size	25,000 personnel (2023)[1][2][3]
Part of	Iraqi Armed Forces
Headquarters	Baghdad, Iraq
Colors	Blue, White & Olive
March	March of the Navy
Anniversaries	12 January
Equipment	see below
Engagements	Invasion of Kuwait Gulf War 2003 invasion of Iraq
Commanders
Commander-in-chief of the Navy	Rear Admiral Ahmed Jasim
Chief of Staff of the Navy	Rear Admiral Faris Salman
Notable commanders	Vice Admiral Mohammad Abdullah al-Ka'abi
Insignia
Ensign
Flag

The Iraqi Naval Forces (Arabic: القوات البحرية العراقية), or the Iraqi Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the Armed forces of Iraq. Formed in 1937, initially as the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force, its primary responsibilities was the protection of Iraq's coastline and offshore assets, the official name was changed on 12 January 2005 to Iraqi Naval Forces^[4]

As of February 2021, the navy had approximately 3,000 sailors and marines which form an Operational headquarters, five afloat squadrons, and two

The Royal Iraqi Navy was formed in 1937 as a small four-ship force headquartered in Basra. Between 1937 and 1958, it was primarily a riverine force.^{[citation needed]}

Iraqi Republic (pre-2003)

Following the

Between 1977 and 1987, the Iraqi Navy received eight Osa-class missile boats, armed with Styx anti-ship missiles, from the Soviet Union. It also purchased four Lupo-class frigates and six Assad-class corvettes from Italy, although these were never delivered because of international sanctions following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.^[7]

The Iraqi Navy was almost completely destroyed by the Royal Navy during the Gulf War of 1991. The force had 19 ships sunk and 6 vessels damaged. In total, more than 100 Iraqi ships were destroyed. The Navy was not rebuilt and played little part in the Iraq War (2003). One exception was two mine warfare vessels captured by US Navy and Coast Guard units during the assault on Al Faw; The tug Jumariya, towing a well camouflaged minelaying barge, and the tug Al Raya, which had been outfitted as a minelayer itself.^[8] Of the units that remained by late 2002, most were in a poor state of repair and the crews were in a poor state of readiness. Whatever units that remained after 1991 were used primarily for safeguarding Saddam's palaces on the Tigris river.^[9]

Republic of Iraq (post-2003)

In January 2004, the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force (ICDF) officially began training its first 214 volunteers.

On 30 September 2004, the ICFD assumed the responsibility of protecting the Iraqi coastline, with actual patrol operations beginning the following day, on 1 October 2004.^[10]

On 11 November 2008, Rear Admiral Muhammad Jawad signed the historic non-legally binding Khawr Abd Allah Protocols or "KAA Protocols" at the Kuwait Naval Base.

5,400 sailors and officers, in addition to 1600 in the Iraqi Naval Battalion (

Ranks

Officers

Rank group	General/flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Iraqi Navy[12] v t e
	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

Ratings

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Iraqi Navy[12] v t e
									رقيب أول Rayiys eurafa		رقيب Arif						نائب عريف Nāyīb arīf												جندي أول Jundi 'awwal						جندى Jundi

Equipment

Assad-class corvettes

A total of six ships were ordered by Iraq in the 1980s, but were never delivered as a result of the arms embargo imposed after the Gulf War in 1991. Four of the six ships were eventually purchased by the Royal Malaysian Navy in October 1995 as the Laksamana-class corvette, while the remaining two were mothballed at La Spezia. On 19 May 2017, it was reported that the remaining two vessels would be delivered to the Iraq Navy after 26 years. They eventually left La Spezia on a semi-submersible carrier Eide Trader on 22 May and reached Iraq in June 2017.^[13]

The ships were commissioned as the Musa ibn Nusayr (F210) and Tariq ibn Ziyad (F212). In September 2023, the Musa ibn Nusayr was found sunk in the port of Umm Qasr, though she was being salvaged as of November.^[14]

Saettia Mk4/Fattah OPV

On 15 February 2005 the Iraqi Navy signed a $101 million contract with the

In May 2009, the first vessel, Patrol Ship 701 named Fatah (

Al Basra class OSV

• 2 × Al Basra-class offshore support vessel
  • 401 Al Basra
  • 402 Al Fayhaa

Offshore Patrol Vessels

The fifteen (15) 35-meter Patrol Vessels (P301 – P315) were built by Swiftships in the period 2011–2014.^[18] The ships will provide logistical support for securing the oil platforms, to the Interceptor boats and more than 60 Fast Attack boats.^[19][20][21]

Predator class

The five 27-meter Predator (NHS615) Class patrol boats: (P-101), (P-102), (P-103), (P-104), (P-105); were built by Wuhan Nanhua High-speed Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. and delivered in 2002, they were to be the new ICDF's first ships and were to be purchased under the oil-for-food program. Due to their military compatibilities they were not allowed to enter Iraq until 2003. The vessel has one(1) continuous freeboard main deck with camber and slight fore sheer, one deck house and wheelhouse. The hull below main deck is divided by transversal bulkheads into 4 spaces. The speed of the vessel under sea trial conditions is 32 knots. Crew: 14.^[22]

Supply vessels

• 1 offshore supply vessel
  • Al Shams (Sun):
    FMS to RiverHawk Fast Sea Frames, LLC, Tampa, Florida for two 60-metre offshore support vessels.^[24] The two vessels were delivered on 20 December 2012.^[25]

List of ships

Class	Names / pennant number	Type	Photo	Number of Ships	Notes
Corvette
Assad-class corvette	Tariq ibn Ziyad (F212)	corvette		1
Offshore patrol vessel
Saettia Mk4/Fattah-class	Fateh (PS 701) el-Naser (PS 702) Majid (PS 703) Shmookh (PS 704)	Offshore patrol vessel		4
Offshore support vessel
Al Basra-class	Al Basra (OSV 401) Al Fayhaa (OSV 402)	Offshore support vessel		2
Fast attack craft
Swiftships Model 35PB1208 E-1455	(P-301) (P-302) (P-303) (P-304) (P-305) (P-306) (P-307) (P-308) (P-309) (P-310) (P-311) (P-312) (P-313) (P-314) (P-315)	fast attack craft		15
Predator class	(P-101) (P-101) (P-102) (P-103) (P-104) (P-105)	fast attack craft		10
Fast aluminum boats
Fast Aluminum Boats		Patrol boat		24
Rigid-hulled inflatable boats
Rigid-hulled inflatable boat		RHIB		10
Supply vessel
Al Shams-class	Al Shams	Supply vessel		1

Future procurement

The Iraqi Navy will reportedly be purchasing

• Iraqi Air Force
• Iraqi Security Forces
• Iraqi Army

References