Four Years After an ISIS Massacre, the Iraqi Air Force Opens a New Academy

Cessna 172 Skyhawks and 208 Caravans used by U.S. Air Force and Iraqi air force instructor pilots to train Iraqi students seen at Kirkuk in July 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo)

On Feb. 21, 2018, the Iraqi government announced that the Iraqi air force had reopened its academy at Balad air base. U.S. Central Command announced that the Coalition Aviation Advisory and Training Team will help establish standardized training programs. Forty cadets will start their coursework in March 2018.

Before June 2014, the academy was located at Combat Outpost Speicher in Tikrit. Between June 11 and 14, Islamic State insurgents captured the outpost — and the academy — and killed no fewer than 1,500 Shia air force cadets. Cadet training transferred to Al Kut air base in 2015.

The recent history of Iraqi air force training is a complicated one. Iraqi pilot cadets have undergone instruction in Iraq with U.S. trainers, in Jordan and in Pakistan. The current reforms could bring student pilots home to Iraq.

Four Years After an ISIS Massacre, the Iraqi Air Force Opens a New Academy - Baghdad wants to standardize training

Iraqi 9th Fighter Squadron has now 21 F-16C/Ds in its fleet

On November 2nd, 2017, Iraqi Air Force's 9th Fighter Squadron took delivery of a new batch of three F-16Cs increasing to twenty one the total of Vipers in service on Iraqi territory. The first four F-16C/Ds arrived in Iraq on July 13th, 2015. Four days before, two single-seater (serial numbers 1607 and 1610), and two two-seaters (serial numbers 1601 and 1604) took off from Tucson and landed at Lajes in the Azores the same day. They landed at Balad AB on July 13th where they joined the new 9th Fighter Squadron. Two months later, they carried out their first combat missions against Islamic State militants. Twenty one aircraft is now enough to sustain intensive operations against ISIS.

Iraq got F-16s in summer 2015 and immediately started bombing ISIS

On Sept. 5, 2017,  Iraqi air force major Noor Faleh Al Khuzai died in the crash of his F-16 fighter during a training flight in Arizona. This is the second F-16IQ the Iraqi air force has lost in Arizona. On June 25, 2015, F-16C serial number 1609 crashed, killing its pilot Brig. Gen. Rafid Mohammad Hassan.

In January 2011, Iraq signed a contract worth $3 billion for 18 F-16C/D Block 52 fighters — 12 single-seat F-16Cs and six two-seat F-16Ds — for delivery between 2014 and 2015.

In March 2012, the first Iraqi F-16 pilot graduated from Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training in the United States. In October that year, Iraq ordered 18 more F-16s.

On May 2, 2014, the first Iraqi F-16IQ — F-16D serial number 1601 — made its maiden flight at Forth Worth, Texas, followed by official delivery to Iraq on June 5. The first two aircraft, 1601 and 1602, went to Tucson International Airport, home of the U.S. Air National Guard’s 162nd Wing, which trains Iraqi pilots.

Iraq Got F-16s in Summer 2015 and Immediately Started Bombing ISIS - The 9th Fighter Squadron wasted no time

My publication in June 2017

In June Issue of Air Force Monthly magazines, I published the second contribution to my new series of monthly reports named the "Flashpoint" : "Wolves in sheep's clothing", the concept of transforming Antonov transports into auxiliary bombers starting in 1967 in the Indian Air Force and used recently in the battle of Mosul by Iraqi AIr Force.

How Iraq Makes Combat Pilots

During the occupation that followed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, most Iraqi combat aircraft — MiG-23s, MiG-25s and Su-25s — were discovered by coalition forces in poor condition on various air bases, while others were discovered buried outside their bases or in nearby towns and villages where they had been abandoned.

Most IrAF aircraft were destroyed during and after the invasion, and any remaining materiel was discarded in the immediate aftermath of the war. No aircraft acquired during the era of Saddam Hussein would be retained in service by the new Iraqi air arms.

How Iraq Makes Combat Pilots

My publication in May 2017

Two publications in May 2017 : in DSI issue No.129, I talk about the engagement of Egyptian and Emirati Air Forces in Libya with a focus on the UAE deployment at al-Khadim airbase; I have also written a short piece about the latest batch of four F-16IQs delivered to Iraqi Air Force in Issue No.350 of Air Forces Monthly magazine

My publication in April-May 2017

In March-April, two of my articles are published in DSI and Combat Aircraft Monthly magazines. The first one is the story of the Garud commando forces, the special forces dedicated to the Indian Air Force in DSI special Issue. In Combat Aircraft Monthly, I published a short piece about the latest Aero Vodochody L-159s delivered to Iraqi Air Force.

My publication in March

This month, two of my short reports are published in March Issue of Air Force Monthly about the deployment of Nigerian Air Force in Gambia and a combat report about Iraqi Air Force and Iraqi Army Aviation in action in the battle of Mosul.

An answer to Offiziere.ch and Mr Chris Biggers ad hominem attacks

On 20 September 2016, Offiziere.ch published on his website an update of Mr Chris Biggers article following a piece that was published on War Is Boring in August in which I made a criticism of his analysis. Offiziere presented me as "a military aviation enthusiast for over 25 years", that's true as readers of my blog can see here, but it is a little reductor seeing Offiziere presented Mr Biggers as a "10 years of experience in analyzing satellite imagery for government and clients". I also published around thirty articles in English and French specialized magazines (samples here), I am author/co-author of four books included three with Tom Cooper with whom I worked since at least five years. My latest book is Iraqi Air Power Reborn edited by Harpia Publishing.

In his update, Offiziere has used ad hominem attacks, while I only made a review of a content.

How many Su-25s operational in Iraqi AIr Force ?

A Sept. 2, 2016 analysis of satellite imagery from July seems to confirm that the Iraqi air force — the IqAF — maintains 21 Su-25 Frogfoot attack jets at Al Rashid air base.

According to the website Offiziere, the space-based photo suggests that two shipments of the rugged, twin-engine Su-25s — Russia’s answer to America’s A-10 Warthog — have occurred since the beginning of 2016.

Offiziere is wrong. But here’s how the website understandably arrived at that incorrect conclusion.

Let’s Account for All of Iraq’s Tank-Busting Jets - Counting Baghdad’s Su-25s is tricky business

SIGINT and reco missions over Iraq - warning Mig-25

53-BZ  with UN markings inflight during operation TARPAN in 2003

(Credit photo Adj Trestard, ERS 1/91)

In April 1992, the U.N. Security Council passed Resolution 688, calling on Baghdad to cease its crackdown on Iraq’s rebellious Shia majority and “ensure that the human and political rights of all Iraqi citizens are respected.”

Operation Southern Watch, the U.S.-led coalition effort to patrol the air space over southern Iraq, began that August. Its goal — to protect the Shia in line with Resolution 688.

But as French pilots soon discovered, the Iraqi air force didn’t just roll over and let coalition planes operate unopposed over Iraqi territory.

Warning — MiG-25!

Iraqi Air Force uses transports as auxiliary bombers

On July 17, 2016, the first photo appeared on social media depicting an Iraqi air force An-32B Cline transport aircraft carrying a bomb on an external pylon. It’s not the first time that transport aircraft have pulled double duty as bombers.

The Iraqi Air Force Just Got New Bomber Planes — By Arming Transports

Erratum : Iraqi Air Power Reborn book

Following the publication of 'Iraqi Air Power Reborn', some readers reported some errors in the book. The list below is not fixed and will change over readers comments :

1 - Data are missing in the attrition table p76 :

The Mi-17 that made a hard landing at Tikrit on 26 June 2014 (see p61) is not reported in the table

2 - There are some contradiction between the text and the attrition table p76 :

The type of helicopter is reverse for the two losses of 6 and 19 January 2014 in the text p60. Data in the table are correct. The text should have been : 'On the 6th, a UH-1H crashed near Tikrit, killing its pilots Capt Mohammed Khaled Aziz and Lt Ahmed Ali Mohsen. On the 14th, helicopters intervened in Saklaouya, a city near Fallujah, against insurgents who had stormed the police station. On the 19th, Leith Yahya Al Karbalai and Sebah Abdel al-Hassan al-Gharibawi from the 4th Utility Squadron died in the crash of their Mi-17 at al-Habbaniyah AB'

 

My publication in July

This month, I published three articles in August issue of Combat Aircraft Monthly. Foremost, two short items in World News section about the second Iraqi 'Vipers' batch that began test flights and one of the two Libyan Mirage F1ED returned to sevice and finally lost. The major item is a Combat Report on operation 'Breaking Terrorism', the battle for the recovery of Fallujah in the hands of Islamic State since January 2014.

Who was really involved in the ISIS convoy attacks near Fallujah ?

On 30 June, 2016, the Ministry of Defense in Baghdad announced an attack on a big convoy of Islamic State fighters moving out of Fallujah.

During the night of June 28 and 29, someone destroyed most of this convoy — around 260 vehicles — and killed as many as 750 militants.

Later during the day, the spokesman for the coalition Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve announced that it took part in these air strikes — but Iraqis sources denied that claim.

Who was really involved and what was the actual target? I asked Iraqi military pilots. And what they told me contradicted the coalition’s official story.

Iraqis and Americans Butted Heads Over the ISIS ‘Convoy Massacre’

First new ‘VIPER’ from second Iraqi batch

The two first F-16C/D Fighting Falcon of the second batch of ‘Viper’ ordered by Iraq, started tests flight at NAS Fort Worth. These two units are F-16D serial number 1619/13-0032 and F-16C serial number 1621/13-0016.

On 12 December 2011 the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the Iraqi government’s request to purchase 18 F-16C/D Block 52 fighters (12 single-seat F-16Cs and six two-seat F-16Ds) and associated equipment, parts, weapons, training and logistical support at an estimated cost of USD2.3 billion. In October 2012, 18 more F-16C/Ds (12 F-16Cs and six F-16Ds) were ordered for delivery between 2017 and 2018, to equip a second squadron.

The first unit of the second group of 18 F-16s for the Iraqi Air Force , F-16D #1619 is seen launching on a test flight at NAS Fort Worth on 25th March, 2016. (Copyright : Keith Snyder)

My publications in May

This month, I published an article in May-June issue of DSI Magazines about airpower during the seconde Libyan civil war. I describe the order of battle of the two air forces : LNA AF (Libyan National Army Air Force) in the side of Tobruk government, recognized by international authorities, and LDAF (Libya dawn Air Force) in the side of Tripoli government and Fajr Libya militias. I also contributed to Combat Aircraft Monthly in the "News world" chapter with a short article on the Su-25s delivered to Iraq. Ce mois-ci, j'ai publié un article dans le numéro de mai-Juin de DSI Magazines au sujet de la puissance aérienne durant la seconde guerre civile libyenne . J'y décris l'ordre de bataille des deux forces aériennes: LNA AF (Libyan National Army Air Force) du côté du gouvernement Tobrouk, reconnue par les instances internationales, et LDAF (Libya dawn Air Force) du côté du gouvernement de Tripoli et les milices de Fajr Libya . J'ai aussi contribué aux actualités dans Combat Aircraft Monthly avec un court article à propos des derniers Su-25 livrés à l'Iraq.

New Aero Vodochody L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft for Iraqi Air Force

Yesterday took place the ceremony of the 85th anniversary of the foundation of Iraqi Air Force. Most of the types of aircraft in service participated to the air show organized on this occasion including the Aero Vodochody L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircrafts. Two of them overflew the runway after three F-16IQs, followed by three Cessna-208 Caravans. But one L-159 was seen in static position (see photo below). This single-seater aircraft carries serial number "5905" (previous serials were "5903" and "5904"). According to AeroHisto blog sources, this delivery was not officially reported (included within IqAF pilots). On 26th March, Iraqi Air Force Commander, Gen Amin announced that second batch of L-159s would arrive in April and the third batch, three months later or less.

Last November, the first two L-159s arrived at Balad airbase. In 2014, Iraqi government signed a new agreement with Aero Vodochody for the supply of twelve L-159 light fighters.

Special thanks to Ra'is Urafa Fayli

Iraqi Air Force finally received four Su-25s from Russia

Contrary to what spokesman of the Ministry of defence (Dr. Naseer Nouri Mohamed Al Tamimi) in a press release said yesterday, Iraqi Air Force did not received three, but four new Su-25s "Frogfoot" (three single-seaters and one two seaters) from Russia as the photos below show.

Update 21st April 2016 : The dual-seater serial "2501" is not a former Iranian aircraft. He was already spotted last October and was not part of the last delivery. The former user is not known ...

Iraq received three new Su-25s from Russia

Spokesman of the Ministry of defence (Dr. Naseer Nouri Mohamed Al Tamimi) in a press release of the Ministry's information centre announced the arrival of three new Sukhoi jets (Su-25), under contract with the Federal Republic of Russia, and tons of materiel (light, medium and heavy) from various global sources.