Comments on: Rebuilding the Iraqi Air Force

By: Taylor McKinnon

Taylor McKinnon — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:36:14 +0000

From a logisticians viewpoint the L-39 argument makes a lot of sense as their old mechanics who have returned will have had experience on the bird. This could save years of training time getting them into the air. Not to mention the experienced pilots.

By: bilard

bilard — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:11:10 +0000

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By: bilard

bilard — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:10:03 +0000

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By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 17:18:47 +0000

Seems reasonable to me to push cost and maintainability as equal priorities to performance, at least ‘high performance’. Certainly the immediate need is for the IrAF to be able to support ground troops, not engage in Air combat. Transport, cargo, and spotting/recon seem like the long poles in the tent, then maybe close air support.
Regarding recon, does anybody have pics of sensor balls installed on these ‘civie’ prop planes (Caravan, Tucano, Otter, etc.) I usually only see the FLIR pods, etc, installed on state of the art UAV, police choppers, and jets.

By: Grandjester

Grandjester — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:23:44 +0000

Yeah, the UAV’s would seem a natural fit.
Let’s get these boys some Super Tocanos and let ‘em go to work!

By: 22lr

22lr — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 14:02:10 +0000

No its called money and time. You cant have a huge Airforce over night. And since they have had to start from the beginning, it will take a while. The worse thing that could happen is if we sent them a few hundred Migs or what ever and told them, here ya go have fun. It takes training, and time.

By: Mark Pyruz

Mark Pyruz — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 06:20:29 +0000

Woe to the vanquished. Gone are the squadrons of MiG-25, MiG-23, MiG-21, Mirage F1, SU-20, SU-22, TU-22 and more. Not to mention the scores of IrAF pilots. What wasn’t shot out of the sky by Iranian Tomcats and HAWK SAM’s, fled to Iran in ’91.
Now the IrAF flies a few C-130 Herc’s and a Cesna? Unbelievable. And this is considered some kind of rebuilding effort? Compared to the effort made for South VietNam during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, it’s obvious there is nowhere near the necessary US confidence to put forth an adequately reconstituted IrAF.

By: demophilus

demophilus — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 05:02:05 +0000

Good push on the UAV angle, Pinch. It’s a natural for the IAF.
Given the…um…contradictions of The Iraq Situation, I doubt IAF will be given CAS assets anytime soon. FAC UAVs are another matter. And, given a local’s enhanced understanding of the “human terrain”, an IAF UAV pilot and his crew might have a good handle on where to send a FAC UAV.
Ditto for manned FAC vs. CAS. IIRC, USAF issued an RFP for a turboprop CAS platform, and some people were pushing hard for the Super Tucano. Don’t know if that makes sense, when there are so many barely used L-39s in the world, and some prospective IAF pilots already have time in type.
If you go manned FAC, two person teams, IAF pilot, US weapons officer, might work for the near term. It might be a wee bit tense, like those old timey USAF ICBM silo teams, with the matching keys that had to be used together, and the pistols, JIC there were any misunderstandings.
Apart from that, I can see handing them C-130s, seeing as we’ve burned out all the Sherpas, and the C-27s aren’t on line yet. But they probably still have pilots with time in type on Antonovs, and those are as common and cheap as dirt.
Apart from that, the Caravan’s a hell of a bird, but there are more capable STOL/utility platforms.
OTOH, maybe the Iranians will give them some of their MIGs back.

By: Benjamin Fan

Benjamin Fan — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:34:08 +0000

I’m getting ahead of myself, but it would be fascinating to see an Iraqi Air Force equipped with advanced model F-16s. Such an order, if placed so that delivery takes place in between 2013–2016, might help tide over Lockheed’s F-16 production line until the time the Lightning II kicks into full production mode, especially with the recent hitches in the Lightning II program.