Free Republic

Following a recent strike its F-16IQ Viper multi-role jets flew against ISIS terrorists in neighboring Syria, the Iraqi Air Force has released a detailed infographic showing how many combat and combat support missions each of its aircraft types have flown over the past nearly four years. Of particular note is that the country’s An-32 cargo planes have conducted more airstrikes than either Iraq’s F-16s or its Aero L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft, or ALCA, light attack jets. The Iraqi Air Force released the infographic, with its text unfortunately only in Arabic, on its official social media accounts on April 23,...

Iraqi air force pilot photo via Arnaud Delalande 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. ItÂ’s not the first time that transport aircraft have pulled double duty as bombers. Following Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, Iraq began to rebuild its air force, which had been decimated during the invasion. Most Iraqi combat aircraft were discovered by coalition forces in poor condition on various air bases, while others were found buried outside their bases or in nearby towns and villages where...

KIEV, Ukraine, May 13 (UPI) -- A Saudi Arabian company is to locally modernize and manufacture an Antonov light cargo aircraft for Saudi and international military and civilian markets. The work comes under a new agreement between Taqnia Aeronautics Company, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Taqnia investment firm and the Antonov Company of the Ukraine. "The purpose of this agreement is to achieve a number of objectives, to include transfer of aviation industry technology to the Kingdom and to qualify ... Saudis to enter the aviation industry, where Saudi staff will be trained by Ukrainian experts," Taqnia said. Taqnia said...

The first shipment of BTR-4 armored personnel carriers built in Kharkiv under a contract signed in 2009 to supply over $550 million worth of Ukrainian armaments and hardware to Iraq will be delivered to the client in February, an informed source told Interfax. "The delivery of 26 armored personnel carriers is planned for late February," he said. The delivery was planned for late 2010 at first, but Ukraine and Iraq suspended the supplies for full testing of the armored personnel carriers to tactical and technical characteristics. "The time of the second delivery will be specified when the client accepts the...