Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested providing used F-16s as an option to speed up equipping the Iraqi air force during a July 2009 trip to Iraq.
The exact meaning of providing has not been worked out to-date but one of the options under consideration by Gates is to determine if there are some of our F-16s that may be excess to our needs that could be transferred to Iraq.
Lt. Gen. Mark Shackelford, military deputy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, who would be in charge of any program transferring retired F-16s to Iraq fighters, did not say whether the U.S. would lease the planes or give them to Iraq.
None of those F16s have been donated, leased, or sold to Iraq to date.
No movement whatsoever on that proposal to provide aircraft [that we plan to scrap in 2010/2011] to Iraq.
No congressional clearance or request for export permission to date.
What might happen in the future does not change that no US aircraft have been given to Iraq to date, only sold.
PS: That proposal was more of a loan, lease, or sell of worn out USAF aircraft with Iraq footing the bill of making them airworthy and shipping. There are reasons why we were removing them from service. Donating them to Iraq would be cheaper than the planned cost of scrapping them.