its a LIFT / light fighter. not an F16. If one compares it to other aircraft in its category, its good. However if you want to go “one notch up” and it doesn’t compare favourably against JF17 in terms of payload variety / sensors (it does however have 3x the airframe life of a JF17).

Iraqi Air Force used Il76 as a bomber against Iran and their Iraqi Peshmarga allies in the battles in the spring of 1988. Areas inside Iran and along the Iraqi border were bombed.

They employed “simple” barrel bombing technique.

Iraq enjoyed air supremacy in the area, and no Il76s were lost.

I don´t know about air assets but ground assets I saw a lot. Lots of M1 tanks ended in ISIS hands and US had to destroy them. Iraq already lost half of its M1 tanks and ordered another 140.

Zero abrams tanks were captured in tact by isis. They did destroy 10 or so. In a year of fighting. If you have evidence for any more I’d love to hear about it. Certainly the us did not destroy a single abrams tank. Once again if you have evidence to the contrary I’d love to hear it.

But surely unreliable units manned by sunni Arabs and kurds turned coat in June 2014 and handed over their weapons and equipment to isis (sunni Arabs) and peshmerga (kurds). But the only “major asset” lost was a battalion of m198 guns that was shared about equally between isis and the kurds. Asbyou well realise “loyal units” of the iraqi army did not collapse and stopped the isis and peshmerga ddrive… Right about where those groups have popular support. Otherwise surely isis would be in control of baghdad karbala najaf nasiriya basra and the other provinces… Curiously the “collapsed iraqi army” did not collapse there.

you forgot weight. 😉

As I said “excelent” idea to make a deal with Iraq, as I said…

I am happy that all stored Alcas will go in country of the Uncle Sam, to real business and technical partner, not to absolutely unfaithful eclectic collector of weapons from around the World…

I’m glad that you’re finally satisfied.

The funds from the L159 purchase were diverted to two things.

1- Additional funding for base preparation for the new air academy and the T50IQ project
2- Additional funding for the “sukhoi” project

This development comes in line with other “realignments” including Iraq stopping payments for the F16IQ project and diverting those funds for more “Sukhois”.

I believe its mostly a software limitation.

certainly if the aircraft’s computer can be programmed with an additional mode to use air to air missiles whilst the radar is in ISAR / ground mapping mode. there’s practically no reason why you couldn’t do that. But I am guessing most countries don’t want to even think of wasting precious air to air missiles on targets for which more suitable weapons are available… and thus customers are unlikely to pay a few million dollars to reprogram their computers in order to be able to launch air to air missiles against surface targets.

1. I’m not sure the L159T was a turnkey solution, so it probably had too much lead time to introduction.

they were negotiating for 15 second hand units. not new builds.

2. Any specifics here?

Yes. They deferred a $1.5Bn payment that was planned for 2015 for the F16IQ programme.

3. No number of Su-25’s is going to secure their airspace

No F16 IQ (armed with 40 year old sparrows) would secure it either. Perhaps SU30 would have a better chance.

4. T-50IQ should help train F-16IQ pilots immediately, but otherwise is not that much tactical help.

They will be delivered near year end. Both for attack as well as advanced training.

5. Pretty useless IMHO.

Why? They need every airframe they can get right now and the Super Tucanos are pretty ok for use on the desert regions IMHO where you have small outposts who desperately need air support. As for the Mirages… well the Iraqi MOD held some meetings with French MOD officials to discuss french “support” for Iraq only last week. Lets see if France offers some assistance in operating the Mirage 2000-9s.

6. I believe they this made the decision mid-summer of 2014

Yes. And now they confirmed more helicopter purchase from Russia as well as more “Sukhois” and munitions for them.

7. With drop in oil prices this has to hurt Russia.X

Yes it will hurt Russia somewhat in the short term. But it seems Russians made a strategic decision on this. Similarly the US, Kuwait, UAE are all delivering weapons for free to Iraq too, and the US is also discussing potential for “deferred payments” for some future weapons purchases to speed up delivery.