Presumably with a European aircraft Iraqis would be able to buy MICA / METEOR and other more advanced armaments.

With the russian option they would of course be able to acquire the russian missiles.

Its a similar scenario with other armaments from the US.

M1A1SA tanks without the independent sight and TUSK-ERA
HAWK-XXI SAM instead of PATRIOT PAC2/3
F16IQ instead of F/A18 E/F that the Iraqis originally wanted

This is the main reason that Iraqi purchase of F16s will be capped at the 36 units and they will not buy the 96 aircraft they originally envisioned. Also the reason Iraqis are buying complete air defence systems, attack helicopters and probably fighters from Russia.

they had a look at egypt and though “at least they got their paperweights for free!”

Balad Air base is being prepared to host these aircraft

36 aircraft in the deal including 12 twin seaters and 24 single seaters

First aircraft will be delivered in Spring 2014

approx 2 aircraft a month will be delivered thereafter

They are equipped to the same standard as other F16/block 52s including JHMCS

But their armament is limited to Aim-9M / AiM-7M / LGBs no AMRAAM AiM-9X JDAM etc…

Due to the above issue with armaments Iraq is looking to supplant it with a better fighter. They had evaluated the Typhoon, JF-17s and MiG35s as I know.

easier solution than attack helicopters
do a shiite for sunni trade with Iran.

god. i don’t know what to write. but you seem to not realise that SHIAS are in fact the majority in BOTH Iraq AND Iran… furthermore Iraqis and Iranians are DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES!

now had you said something similar with Iraq and syria, Iraq and saudi arabia, iraq and kuwait! It would have made some actual sense…

I;ll help you locate the bits.

Perhaps the biggest problem about analyzing the Iran / Iraq War would be not fall into the trap of believing that this war was conducted by radical governments that had used this as a way to maintain control over their nations claiming territorial or religious reasons.

that’s exactly what it was.

After all it is not uncommon to find historical descriptions that wars were only required in order to distract people’s attention on the problems of the country, perhaps as a more recent example could be cited of Falkland’s / Malvinas War in 1982.

both saddam and khomeini came to power in 1979 and were in a precarious position.

However every one has opinions, even if this is not clever. But as I was asked about this issue there is my humble opinion about this:

With the Iran revolution in 1979, several countries of the region Gulf, many such monarchical regime had been seen the Iran revolution as a potential threat against their regimes.

The biggest threat to these nations would come from the immense oil resources of Iran that could be used as a source of funds to finance and support revolutions in those countries.

those countries had even more immense oil resources than Iran. But yes Iran was a threat to their internal stability.

Thus the Iraq with new government from Saddam Hussein had predicted that could obtain both economic and political support of those nations to take action against the Iran, and to keep the occupied territories that would take with the invasion.

Thus the new government of Iran had predicted that it can artillery strike against Iraq and arm and fund a coup / uprising against Iraq and had predicted that it could keep the occupied territories that it would take after the Iraqi regime is overthrown.

Without its oil resources the Iran revolutionary government would not be able to expand its revolution to other countries of the Gulf, if it had this purpose.

Without its oil resources, the Iraqi regime could not help the pro-shah elements to regain control of Iran.

Iraq had started the war against the Iran to occupy the major oil fields from that country, that was the initial goal of the Iraq, however as the Iraq intended to keep these in the medium and long term it might be the most important issue to answer.

Iran had started artillery and air bombardment of Iraq in the spring of 1980 and assassination attempts against Iraqi leaders and blowing up hospitals and the Rafidain Bank in Baghdad in order to topple the Iraqi government and obtain major oil fields from that country. That was the initial goal of the Iran, however as Iran intended to keep these in the medium and long term it might be the most important issue to answer.

Iraq had plans to obtain an advanced program of chemical weapons, as well as the main program would be gain the ability to build nuclear weapons, which would thus all conditions Iraq could keep the occupied territories from Iran indefinitely in view of Iraq.

Iran had plans to obtain an advanced program of chemical and nuclear weapons, with which it would be able to occupy and keep all areas of Iraq indefinitely in the view of Iran.

The nuclear weapons programs could given to Iraq the military supremacy over the Iran in long term as Israel had obtained with nuclear weapons to secure their territories, despite that were useless in 1973 to avoid the Yom Kippur War once the Soviet Union supported the other side.

The nuclear weapons programs, and the US arms from the 1970s could given to Iran the military supremacy over the Iraq in long term as Israel had obtained with nuclear weapons to secure their territories, despite that were useless in 1980 to avoid the war with Iraq once the USA withdrew arms supplies.

With the revolutionary government of Iran should be isolated from its main economic resource that was the oil, both the occupation of the oil fields as well as the attacks on maritime oil terminals, could easily paralyze Iran’s economy as well as its armed forces, which in fact could cripple any attempts to retake in the territories occupied by Iraq.

With the revolutionary government of Baathist Iraq, should be isolated from its main economic resource… and thus Iranian attacks by artillery and funding for uprisings were focused on southern Iraq and Iraq’s ports areas (Basra, Amara). could easily paralyse Iraq’s economy as well as its armed forces, which in fact would cripple any attempts to retake the territories occupied by Iran.

Without producing or refining the oil since its refineries facilities as well as the terminals that could bring fuel to Iran would be under constant attack from Iraq Air Force, Iran would not be able to mobilize military forces to repel the invasion and occupation, and would be able to just launch guerrillas attacks against the Iraqi Army in the territory occupied by it.

Without producing or refining the oil since its refineries facilities as well as the terminals that could bring fuel to Iraq would be under constant attack from Iranian Air Force, Iraq would not be able to mobilize military forces to repel the invasion and occupation, and would be able to just launch guerrillas attacks against the Iranian Army in the territory occupied by it.

[
Picture above: in the ground in the first view an AH 1T Cobra equipped with rocket launchers, and beside this another AH 1T Cobra equipped with missiles launchers from ATGW TOW, both being overflown by a Bell 214 helicopter transport. The helicopter transport from Iran had an essential function at the beginning of the War

despite a far superior military supply and having 3x the territory and 3x the population with a deep strategic depth full of mountains and obstacles, the Iranian military failed to take the Initiative against a much smaller and worse equipped foe.

Saddam had at least a effective strategy to win the against Iran, and the main goal of success for the strategy would be the elimination in the early days of the war of the Iran Air Force, or at least the to establish the air superiority over the Iran Air Force.

Khomeini had at least a effective strategy to win against the Iraq, and the main goal of success for the strategy would be the armed support and artillery support for an uprising by Iraq’s shia populace and terrorist attacks and assassinations.

Due to the power of the Iran Air Force before the revolution in 1979, this would be in the event of an invasion the first to counter attack, and this would at its responsibility the protection of high-priority targets such as those for the production and refining from oil, since without fuel throughout the country would collapse as well as the regularly Iran Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) or the new revolutionary forces.

Despite the high tech armaments and quantity of weapons of the Iranian Air Force it failed in destroying Iraq’s ground or air forces.

Picture above: such demonstration of the capabilities from Iran Air Force a KC 707 refuels an F 5E/F Tiger II in the first view, in the center using a tail-mounted refueling boom for F 4E Phantom II while an F 14A Tomcat using the other probe/drogue had demonstrated the capabilities from the Iran Air Force.

Despite having this capability the Iranians never even managed to hit an Iraqi Battalion HQ from the air.

As the Armed Forces from Iran were in a chaotic situation due to revolution, especially Iran Air Force, Iraq had launched the main offensive on 22 September from 1980.

The armed forces of Iraq where in a chaotic situation in 1979 as saddam was purging communists and unwanted baathists and daawa supporters. Iran had launched its artillery attacks and terrorist attacks against iraq in the spring of 1980, and the Iraqis could not respond by creating a protective buffer zone from the Iranian attacks until later that year in September 1980.

However the heavy counter attack on 23 September and the others that followed by Iran Air Force against the Iraq had showed that Air Force was not demobilized as predicted in the early war plans from Iraq.

The Iranian attacks against Iraqi Air Force bases in 23rd september demonstrated the strength of Iraq’s defensive measures and only one transport aircraft was destroyed on the ground and several attackers shot down. Iran would never again repeat this folly for the duration of the war.

Picture above:a formation of F 4E Phantom II from Iran Air Force. This type had formed the backbone of the Air Force of Iran, both in air defense and attack missions as tactical and strategic. The F 4D/E Phantom II had been conducted many missions of tactical and strategic attack against Iraq using AGM 65A Maverick missiles and laser-guided bombs LGB Paveway.

But with no success, comparably the first sign of successful use of PGMs were by Iraq post 1985 using Mirages and SU22s.

This almost unbelievable Intelligence failure about the situation assessment from Iran Air Force , on which Iraq allegedly had received it from at least an important ally.

Is from a book of fiction… especially since the Iraqis were very careful in building up an air defence network all along the border, and the iranian aircraft were bombing Iraq already since the summer of 1980 well before “22nd september” Iraqi counterattack.

Whose detailed reports that mention about the Iran Air Force it would be practically out of combat, even the Soviet Union believed those reports, since it maintained its contingent near future air combat zone. The Soviets had received a proof in early 80’s about the saying capitalist: there is no free lunch.

Except the Iraqis… who were being bombed daily by Iranian aircaft in the run up to the Iraqi counterattack in 22nd september.

Although this “miscalculation” from intelligence reports from an important ally, Iraq had started the land invasion from Iran, despite Iraq did not establish air superiority, and even made this invasion under heavy attacks from Iran Air Force and from attack helicopters of the Iran Army . Those attacks from Iran Air Force and the Iran Army had saved time for the deployment of land forces to counter the Iraq invasion, which kept the offensive from Iraq despite only after the Iraq had penetrated deep in the Iran territory.

The Iraqi armed forces went in only as deep into Iran as required to build up a buffer zone against the Iranian artillery which had bombed and destroyed Iraqi villages and towns all along the border before september 1980.

Despite Iraq had penetrated deep in Iran territory, it was keep far from the range of Iraq forces the main oil fields from Iran.

Despite Iran’s 6 year effort to invade Iraq it was kept far from Iraq’s producing oil wells, despite those wells being very close to Iran’s border. A testament to the Iraqis defensive efforts despite the odds against an enemy 3x their size.

[B]Picture above: almost eight years of this war were both sides practically at a standstill, in which both sides hadn’t been secured the conditions to ensure a victory, however both sides had enormous human and material losses, and more than a million people were killed the conflict.[/B

]

despite one side having strategic depth, 3x the population, 3x the economy and much better weapons!

As Iraq had not been able to stop the production and refining of oil from Iran, or even the fuel import for Iran through the maritime terminals from Persian Gulf, Iran was able to perform a counter attack with ground forces since for this should be indispensable items as fuel, and even by Air Force as Iran Navy, and were able to release the occupied territories by Iraq in the beginning of the War.

As Iran failed in stopping Iraq from producing oil and refining… Iraq managed to make the counterattack against Iran and create a defensive buffer zone inside Iranian territory. Iranian invasion attempts were halted for the next 6 years by Iraq’s effective defensive barrier.

Once Iraq had not achieved the expected objectives, Saddam began to seek a ceasefire around 1981, which were not accepted by Iran. In this case there could be several hypotheses, but among those that the ceasefire would be used by Iraq to buy time, and thus this time could modernize and expand its armed forces that had been funded by their allies for a new offensive in the future, while the revolutionary government from Iran would be isolated from main powerful countries.

Once Iran had not achieved the expected objective of overthrowing saddam, khomeini began to send hundreds of thousands of children to die in human wave attacks. Once this floundered and Iran’s US weapons depleted over several years in futile attacks… they accepted peace.

In the side of the Iran there were assumptions that Iran had been interested to continue the war because seemed the opportunity of victory, in view of the revolutionary government of Iran, that could ended in favor to Iran, and with this ‘to free’ the Shia population from Iraq, which made up the majority of the population of the same, and by ‘coincidence’ large parts of the oil fields from Iraq.

THE ONLY ONE TRUTHFUL PARAGRAPH! WOW!

The prevailing sense were that for the U.S. and others West countries had been strong supported Iraq to win the war against Iran, but the occupation of the oil fields from Iran by Iraq military forces and Iran’s military collapse as consequence, must certainly would not be the U.S. interest.

ok.

Picture above:despite all the controversy about how Iran had been managed to maintain its highly complex equipment with U.S. origin, as the F 14A Tomcat equipped with AIM 54A Phoenix missiles in the image above, however in 1986 it was revealed through scandal Iran-gates that U.S. supplied weapons and equipment clandestinely to Iran during the war.

despite the “recent” claims.. only 150 Iraqi fixed wing aircraft were lost to all causes during the 1980-88 war.

how could it be from before 1979 when they talk about events in the 1980s?

You got that from the Iranian Propaganda department?

I don’t think Iraq has the money to buy hardware. I believe American taxpayers are paying for the Apaches. US foreign policy is to aid these countries with free hardware. Syria is an enemy of Israel. Iraq is an enemy of Israel. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. :p

You don’t know much about Iraq.