ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq added an additional six US-made F-16 Fighting Falcons to its fleet on Saturday, sending a “clear message” that Iraq is serious about building its own defense capabilities, military leaders said.
According to Brigadier Yahya Rasool, spokesman for the Iraqi Security Media Center, the delivery brings Iraq’s F-16 Fighting Falcon fleet to 27.
Long reliant on US-led coalition airpower in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), Iraq is increasingly taking charge of its own air defenses.
The six new jets were unveiled at Balad Air Base, 64 km north of Baghdad, in a ceremony on Saturday.
Lt. Gen. Hama Ameen inspects the newly delivered jets at Balad Air Base, Iraq, April 7, 2019. Photo: Iraqi Defense Ministry media office / video still
Lt. Gen. Hama Ameen called the arrival of the jets “an important moment” for Iraqis and the nation’s air force.
“This is frankly a clear message that the Iraqi state is serious about building its military capabilities,” Ameen said in a video published by the Defense Ministry.
Another batch of five jets is expected for delivery before the end of April, Ameen said.
Iraq has ordered a total of 36 F-16s. The remaining jets are expected for delivery by the end of 2019.
“We will continue training so that we, God forbid, are ready for any emergencies or danger that we might face in the future,” Ameen added.
Newly delivered F-16 Fighting Falcon jets taxi along a runway at Balad Air Base, Iraq, April 7, 2019. Photo: Iraqi Defense Ministry media office / video still
Iraq’s F-16s carried out 514 sorties against ISIS targets over the course of the war – June 10, 2014 to December 31, 2017.
Since then, however, the number of sorties has risen again, with the air force striking at ISIS targets inside neighboring Syria, reportedly with the blessing of Damascus.
Then-president of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani lambasted Baghdad’s initial deal to buy the F-16s from the US, claiming Iraq would use them against the Kurds.
At the height of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88), Iraq had the Middle East’s biggest air force. However, the fleet was decimated in the First Gulf War (1990-91).