Free Republic

TAJI — The Iraqi Air Force training school held a combined Warrant Officer graduation ceremony on Sept. 29, 2008. 291 Airmen completed courses in Basic Military Training and Basic Technical Training at the Air Force Training School, and Communications Training from the Iraqi Army signal school. Iraqi Air Force Commander Gen. Kamal and U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. (S) Bash, Coalition Air Force Transition Team commanding general, were in attendance. “This is your first step to a brighter future,” said Kamal in a speech to the new graduates. “You are now part of the Iraqi Air Force family.” The courses...

TAJI AIR BASE — The vaguely comforting scent of oil and mechanical parts drifted through the air as an Mi-17 Hip helicopter sat in the shade of a hangar here, Sept. 11. Its rear door lay open, and panels along its tail boom were lifted away and stowed as Iraqi Airmen crawled through the vehicle's innards. Two Airmen straddled the tail, about a meter from the tail blade, while a third had shimmied inside the tail boom, inspecting the inside. On a nearby table sat an Mi-17 technical order -- a step-by-step repair and maintenance manual that is just one...

TAJI, Iraq– Soon a group of Iowa National Guardsmen will be leaving Iraq and leaving behind a legacy of training and friendship with their Iraqi Air Force partners.“This day I would like to say goodbye to our dear friends who gave serious assistance and backup for our air force,” said Lt. Gen. Kamal, IqAF commander. “They did a major job to build our new Air Force.”“We would like to thank their families, said Kamal. “Because they were so patient waiting for them to do their duties here. Our salute to their families to wish them all the best happiness and...

7/11/2008 - NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- U.S. forces transferred ownership of 11 aircraft to the Iraqi air force July 9 during a ceremony at New Al Muthana Air Base. Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, commander of Multi-National Security Transition Command Iraq, signed over eight Cessna 172s and three Cessna Caravan 208s worth more than $9 million to Iraqi Defense Minister Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji. Brig. Gen. Brooks Bash said the aircraft would be part of the Iraqi air force's training program at Kirkuk Regional Air Base in northern Iraq. Similar to the way the U.S. Air Force...

BAGHDAD, July 9, 2008 – U.S. forces transferred ownership of 11 aircraft to the Iraqi air force today during a ceremony at New Al Muthana Air Base here. Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick (left), commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, and Iraqi Defense Minister Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji sign documents transferring ownership of 11 Cessnas from U.S. forces to the Iraqi air force during a ceremony July 9, 2008, at New Al Muthana Air Base in Baghdad. Defense Dept. photo by Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick, commander...

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2008 – The Iraqi air force is making great strides as it continues to train and begins supporting Iraqi army and police forces, the U.S. advisor to the force said today. During a news conference in Baghdad, Air Force Brig. Gen. Brooks L. Bash spoke said the security situation in Iraq is improving each day, thanks to the investments the citizens have made in their country’s future and to coalition training efforts. Bash, commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team in Iraq, said the Iraqi air force, though small and still developing, is providing important capabilities...

The Iraqi Air Force flew its first, ever, medical evacuation (Medevac) mission on May 14th. While the Iraqi pilots and medics successfully evacuated an Iraqi casualty, it was also a training mission. U.S. instructors were on board to observe, and later advise on any areas that still needed work. An Iraqi UH-1 helicopter was used. As more Iraqi Medevac crews begin operating, they will eventually serve as instructors, to train thousands of Iraqis for military and civilian Medevac missions. Iraqis have been impressed with the American use of Medevac techniques, and everyone wants this capability once the Americans are gone.

5/21/2008 - SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Iraqi air force members are making their mark in history. The fledging air power has proven its effectiveness through the execution of combat missions in Basrah, Mosul and Sadr City, and the year-to-date tally marks for aircraft sorties broke 5,000 last week. The IQAF has roughly 100 pilots assigned to its eight rotary and fixed-wing flying units, making their achievements even more impressive, officials said. "We are now seeing concrete evidence that (the IQAF) have returned to the (sky) and are proving themselves a credible force for safety, security and sovereignty," said...

5/16/2008 - SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Members of the Iraqi air force integrated and synchronized with Iraqi special forces in an effort to dissolve the al-Qaida in Iraq influence since early May in Mosul, Iraq. In less than two weeks, the Iraqi air force members have moved more than 3 tons of cargo and 251 passengers into Mosul using both fixed-wing and helicopter operations. "It's a new thing for Iraq's air force to back the forces in the Mosul's operations," said General Mohammed al-Askari, a spokesman for Iraq's ministry of defense. In addition to "bullets and beans" to...

5/15/2008 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- May 14 marked another significant event when members of the Iraqi air force flew its first medical evacuation mission since the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The crew consisted of an Iraqi pilot, flight medic and aerial gunner -- each with a U.S. military counterpart -- as they transported their first patient, an Iraqi man, from the Air Force Theater Hospital at Balad Air Base to the U.S. Army's 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad. "This is the first (medevac) mission in the history of the Iraqi air force," said Iraqi Lt....

WASHINGTON, March 17, 2008 – Iraq’s air force, with help from a U.S. transition team, attained a tenfold increase in its number of weekly sorties and doubled the size of its fleet over the past year, a military official said today. Air Force Maj. Gen. Robert R. Allardice, commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team, said the Iraqi air force in 2007 evolved from flying about 30 sorties a week to 300 by the end of the year. At the same time, the force’s fleet grew from 28 airplanes to 56. “The Iraqi air force began the movement from...

KIRKUK — Iraqi Muslims making their annual pilgrimage to Mecca in December were being watched. Their every movement was being carefully scrutinized and recorded by unseen men. The watchers plotted prime ambush points that would be the most dangerous to the pilgrims and made sure to note and analyze them. The “watchers” were Iraq’s own Air Force keeping a vigilant watch over their fellow countrymen. Flying over a mile above their heads, the crowd probably didn’t even notice the Cessna Caravan circling or the impact it had on their pilgrimage. Onboard the aircraft was an aircrew made up of pilots...

KIRKUK — Pull back and the trees get smaller; push forward and the trees get bigger. It’s a simple explanation for flying that pilots give when talking about the similarities between flying different airplanes. It’s also a foundation that former Iraqi pilots work from since returning to the Iraqi Air Force as flight instructors in the country’s first flight school since Operation Iraqi Freedom began. The Iraqi Flight Training School, located in Kirkuk, is training officers to fly fixed and rotary wing aircraft, producing the future pilots of the Iraqi Air Force. “After the war, I felt sad for my...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2008 – Iraq’s new air force passed its infancy in 2007 and will continue to build and grow over the next few years, a U.S. unit commander in Iraq said yesterday. Air Force Lt. Col. Cy Bartlett, commander of 770th Air Expeditionary Squadron, is finishing a 12-month deployment at Taji Air Base, Iraq, and said he witnessed the Iraqi air force “getting off the ground” over the past year. “The Iraqi air force is coming on strong. They have limited resources right now, but they’re building and they’re growing, and this is going to be the case...

More than 65 Iraqi Police recruits line up to board an Iraqi C-130 Hercules set to transport the men to the Iraqi National Police Training Academy in Sulamaniya, Iraq. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Jennifer Lindsey. NEW AL MUTHANA AIR BASE — The Iraqi Air Force provided airlift support to more than 360 National Police recruits bound for the Iraqi National Police Training Academy in Sulamaniya, Dec. 26. The Ministries of Defense and Interior executed a very smooth operation consisting of six airlift sorties by the Iraqi Air Force and administrative and logistical command and control by the...

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Air Force received a new, technologically advanced aircraft in a ceremony here Dec. 28. The Beechcraft KingAir 350 was delivered to the Iraqi Air Force through Foreign Military Sales, a process that allows the Iraqi government to purchase military equipment and supplies from other countries, including the United States, with its own money. Additional KingAir aircraft, which are fitted with intelligence gathering sensors, will be delivered throughout next year, said U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Bob Allardice, Coalition Air Force Transition Team commander. “These aircraft will fly critical training, airlift and surveillance support for the government...

12/26/2007 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) -- Four Officer Training School instructors returned here recently after spending the past several months in Iraq building the country's air force officer training program from the ground up. Maj. Scott Bergren and Capt. Michael Powell worked at Taji Air Base, Iraq, to establish a stand-alone officer training program modeled after Air University's OTS, and Capt. John Blackman carved an air force course into the curriculum at the Iraq military academy in Rustamiyah, Iraq. American Airmen are currently working to establish an "accession pipeline" in Iraq to help that country establish a...

WASHINGTON — A congressional probe found that a major U.S. security contractor stole at least two Iraqi Air Force planes. House Oversight and Government Reform Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Rep. Henry Waxman has demanded that Blackwater provide his panel with documents on the shipment of the Iraqi aircraft abroad. Waxman also wanted to know the current location of the air platforms. The investigation determined that Blackwater USA sought to fly at least two Iraqi military aircraft out of the country in 2005. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee stated that Blackwater, the leading security contractor of the...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2007 – The coalition air component in Iraq “remains strong,” airlifting supplies and troops, providing surveillance and assisting ground forces with kinetic support, a senior air force officer in Iraq said today. During a news conference with reporters in Baghdad, Air Force Maj. Gen. David M. Edgington, director of Multinational Force Iraq’s Air Component Coordination Element, referred to air lift forces as “the backbone of the air component.” “The number of pallets that we bring into this country keep at least 100 vehicles off the roads every day that would otherwise be delivered via convoys,” he said....

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30, 2007 – Recruiting experienced pilots and implementing unprecedented training methods are the best ways to fast-track Iraq’s infant air force, a coalition commander said today. Members of 52nd Flying Training Squadron stand in formation as the first students arrive to the Iraqi air force flying training school at Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq. This flight was officially the first sortie flown by the school as the four Iraqi air force students took control of the aircraft for a few minutes in transit to see what it is they are working toward. The school will instruct the students...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2007 – Building an Iraqi air force will take years, but the service already is contributing to the counterinsurgency effort in the country, the chief of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team said today. The Iraqi air force has made tremendous strides since January, Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert R. Allardice told defense experts today via a conference call from Baghdad. The Iraqi air force now has around 1,200 personnel and about 50 aircraft. The force is involved with intelligence and surveillance missions today, but “they will be shooting rockets next year,” Allardice said. The general leads...

An Iraqi air force officer cadet class will soon walk across the stage here, picking up their diplomas and their commissions as second lieutenants. In preparation for their graduation, the soon-to-be officers took time out of their busy class room schedule to pick up a special issue of uniforms at one of the central issuing facilities here Aug. 28.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2007 – Iraq’s air force has added unprecedented personnel and aircraft in recent months and undertaken crucial missions, the commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team said today in Baghdad. “Six months ago, there was no air force academy for the Iraqi air force, there was no technical training school, there was no basic training school for enlisted people,” Air Force Brig Gen. Bob Allardice told online journalists and “bloggers” during a conference call from Iraq. “But in the last six months, we've graduated and commissioned second lieutenants in their air force.” Dozens of basic Iraqi...

Iraq air force wants Iran to give back its planes Sun Aug 5, 2007 9:24AM EDT By Ross Colvin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's air force commander said on Sunday he hoped Iran would return some of the scores of Iraqi fighter plans that flew there ahead of the Gulf War in 1991, but conceded many of them were probably beyond repair. Lieutenant-General Kamal al-Barzanji is eyeing the aircraft, which were flown to Iran to escape destruction, as he slowly rebuilds Iraq's shattered air force with American help. "Until now we have not brought back any aircraft. This case belongs to...

The Iraqi Air Force Military Transition Team transported the Iraqi Minister of Defense Ali Allawi to Combat Outpost "Old Mod" in eastern Baghdad so the Minister could inspect how members of 1st Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division were training. The flight marked the first time the Iraqis have flown a high-ranking Iraqi official to the outpost, which got its name “Old Mod” from being the former headquarters of the Ministry of Defense. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Courtney Marulli, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Air Force landed a milestone mark towards independence...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2006 – As the Iraqi army gains in numbers and capability, so too does the country’s air force, which aims to grow to 2,500 airmen by the year’s end, the commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team said. Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen L. Hoog cited impressive improvement over the past six months, noting that the Iraqi air force continues to grow and improve its ability support the counterinsurgency mission. The Iraqi air force’s counterinsurgency mission consists primarily of aerial observation and surveillance and air transportation. Officials believe it is critical for Iraq’s long-term ability to...

IRAQI pilots who flew in Saddam Hussein’s air force are being targeted by armed militias in an apparent witch-hunt against veterans who fought in the war against Iran two decades ago. According to official military statistics, 182 former pilots and 416 senior military officers had been killed by the beginning of January 2006 as part of the campaign. At least 836 pilots and high-ranking military officials have fled to neighbouring Arab states. Many of the assassinations have been blamed on militias from the Shi’ite Badr Brigade who were trained and financed by Iran and who now form the backbone of...

There are no fighter jets and the officers are too frightened to reveal their identities, but Iraq's new air force finally has its own field. Nestled deep inside the massive U.S. military complex which surrounds Baghdad International Airport, Muthana airfield comprises one runway, a giant hangar, some pilots, aircraft and ground crew from Iraq's fledgling air force. But the air wing of a national armed force upon which the future stability of Iraq and the prospects for a possible U.S. troop pullout rests is small and has no fighting capability. Information about it is specific and sparing. The pilots of...

BAGHDAD, March 7, 2006 – The Iraqi air force, along with its coalition partners, officially opened a new air base in Baghdad today. U.S. airmen from Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq's Coalition Air Force Transition Team stand in formation during the formal stand up of the new Al Muthana Air Base in Iraq March 7. Photo by Master Sgt. Will Ackerman, USAF  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The Al Muthana Air Base, near the international airport, provides a foundation on which Iraq's air force can rebuild with help from its allies, U.S. officials said. On display were two...

BAGHDAD, March 3, 2006 – A fully certified aircrew takes flight, and a single air base opens its gates. These feats represent giant steps toward independence and national security to Iraqi airmen training side by side here with U.S. Air Force members. U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Charles Franks observes and instructs Iraqi crew chiefs inspecting a propeller on an Iraqi air force C-130E Hercules cargo aircraft. Franks is part of the Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, Coalition Air Force Transition Team. The Iraqi trainees are members of the 23rd Squadron, assigned to Al Muthana Air Base on Baghdad...

On Sunday morning, February 12, 2006, in a church in Bellevue, Nebraska, I couldn't escape the feeling that I was a witness to history. There, at the sparsely attended 8:30 service, stood Gen. Georges Sada, a retired Iraqi general from Saddam Hussein's air force. As he shared his personal testimony, I found myself wondering how long the so-called mainstream media could ignore the message he was imparting. Sada is a member of the board of directors of World Compassion, headed by Dr. Terry Law, an Oklahoma minister who accompanied the general on Sunday morning. The reasons for Sada's presence in...

1/11/2006 - ALI BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Reality is often at odds with expectations when Airmen deploy. This difference can be extreme when the mission is to provide military training to a recent enemy. But several Airmen near the end of six-month deployments as advisory support team instructors say they would rather stay here than go home after their experiences. During their deployment they have had a chance to directly shape the future of the world, learn about and gain respect for a different culture, meet men they now call brothers and solidify their instinctive belief that the U.S. Air...

First All-Iraqi Aircrew Shows Security Forces' Progress By Sgt. Sara Wood, USAAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2005 – The first Iraqi air force C-130 mission with an all-Iraqi aircrew Dec. 5 is an indicator of Iraqi security forces' progress, a U. S. military official said here Dec. 6. In addition to this, elements of the Iraqi army's 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 9th Division, completed gunnery qualifications in preparation for operations in western Iraq, the official said, speaking on background. More than 214,000 members of the Iraqi security forces are engaged in operations to secure the country for...

BAGHDAD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Iraq, Dec. 2, 2005 – An all Iraqi aircrew flew its first solo mission aboard a C-130E from Ali Air Base, near Nasariyah in southeast Iraq, to New Al Muthana here Nov. 28, officials reported today. The nine aircrew members are part the 23rd Iraqi Squadron, which has been receiving training at Ali Air Base. "The flight marked a major milestone achievement by showing Iraq's capability of providing its own military transport," said Air Force Capt. Jerry Ruiz, forward operations executive officer at New Al Muthana Air Base. The aircrew performed what's called an engine running on-load,...

Iraq's nascent air force carried out its first military mission when it flew two battalions of Iraqi troops into a troubled zone in the north of the country, a US military spokesman has said. Maj Gen Rick Lynch said that three C-130 Hercules cargo planes this week redeployed troops belonging to the 2nd Iraqi Division from the Kurdish city of Irbil to Tal Afar near the country's north-western frontier with Syria. "This was the first use of the Iraqi air force," Lynch said. Under Saddam Hussein, Iraq boasted the strongest air force in the Arab world. At its zenith in...

Iraq's new air force is being rebuilt from the ground up at this sprawling desert base outside Nasiriyah, once Saddam Hussein's center of air operations against Iran during the 1980-1988 war. Now the site, 375 kilometers (235 miles) southeast of Baghdad, is home to Air Force Squadron 23 and its three C-130 Hercules transport planes. The US-donated planes are backbone of Iraq's new air force, which also includes a dozen light reconnaissance planes and another dozen helicopters spread across the country. Officials are vague on numbers for security reasons. Currently, 109 Iraqi students - all air force veterans with years...

ALI BASE, Iraq, July 11, 2005 — When a crew of instructors deployed here to teach Iraqi airmen the finer points of flying and maintaining C-130 Hercules, they knew they had a monumental task in front of them. But what they found was something unexpected. Slowly over several months, Iraqi and U.S. airmen have developed lifelong friendships with the very men they previously called enemies. “Our instructors are more than just a friend,” said Iraqi air force Capt. S, a maintenance officer with Squadron 23. “We are like brothers.” Names of Iraqi airmen were withheld as a means of force...

February 9, 2005 Release Number: 05-02-09 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IRAQI PILOTS RECEIVE C-130 TRAININGBAGHDAD, Iraq -- A five-man crew from Squadron 23 of the Iraqi Air Force trained for the first time on flying and operating an American C-130 cargo plane outside of Iraq's air space. A crew of U.S. Air Force pilots used a five-hour round-trip flight to Amman, Jordan as a training exercise for the Iraqi pilots and crew members. Five other crews from Squadron 23, of Ali Base in Talil, Iraq, were passengers on the flight, heading to training in Jordan. One crew will continue traveling to...

February 2, 2005 Release Number: 05-02-02 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE IRAQI AIR FORCE RECEIVES HELICOPTERSTAJI, Iraq -- Iraqi air force officials welcomed the arrival of two UH-1H Huey helicopters Feb. 1 to Taji Air Base. The completely refurbished helicopters will provide airlift support and important troop-moving capabilities for the growing Iraqi air force command. A gift from Jordan, this is the first in a series of scheduled deliveries to occur during the next 12 months. A total of 16 UH-1H aircraft are slated to arrive in Iraq by February 2006. The Iraqi flag is displayed on the fuselage of both aircraft....

By Wayman Dunlap Editor The next time someone tries to tell you that American military forces are nothing but death-dealing, mindless killers, tell them to talk to Salam Shalaam, who flew MiG-23s with the Iraqi Air force during the 1991 Gulf War. He was ordered to fly his aircraft to Iran, where it would be safe from the U.S. Air Force's far-reaching hand. He never made it. En route, he was intercepted by two USAF F-16 Fighting Falcons. The experienced pilot tried in vain to lose the two jets. Moving and maneuvering as best he could, he thought he lost...

BAGHDAD (AP)--The United Arab Emirates has delivered four planes to Iraq's fledgling air force, the U.S. military said Friday. The four six-seaters -Comp Air 7SL aircraft -landed in the southern Iraqi city of Basra last week to "help Iraq's air force continue to build its operational capability," the military said. The Emirates announced it would deliver three more aircraft within the next two weeks. The planes are the first half of a gift by the United Arab Emirates, to be followed by four Bell Jet Ranger Helicopters in December. The Comp Air 7SL, built by Aerocomp Inc., is a light...

<p>Saddam Hussein's government discussed supplying unmanned aerial vehicles to terrorists, according to a CIA report made public last week, reports Geostrategy-Direct, the global intelligence news service.</p> <p>The Iraq Survey Group report stated that the development of the Al Quds remotely piloted aircraft included links between the program director and terrorists.</p>

Iraqi Air Force Conducts First Solo Operational Mission By U.S. Army Sgt. Jared Zabaldo / Multinational Security Transition Command, Iraq BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 16, 2004 — The Iraqi air force conducted its first solo operational flight in southern Iraq, Sept. 15, with the flight of one of the country’s two SB7L-360 Seeker reconnaissance aircraft, flying over infrastructure assets in the area.Prior to the mission, multinational force trainers accompanied all flights; the trainers assisted the Iraqi government train and mentor the country’s pilots and support personnel.The flight, a two-hour reconnaissance mission in the early morning hours manned by two Iraqi...

Iraq's Air Force Launches First Flights Posted by: Editor on Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 11:06 AM By TODD PITMAN Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's new air force took to the skies this week for the first time since the U.S. invaded last year and disbanded the country's armed forces, the U.S. military said. Iraqi pilots on Wednesday flew two Seabird Seeker SB7L-360 reconnaissance aircraft on what the U.S. military described as "limited operations missions intended to protect infrastructure facilities and Iraq's borders."

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's new air force took to the skies this week for the first time since the U.S. invaded last year and disbanded the country's armed forces, the U.S. military said. Iraqi pilots on Wednesday flew two Seabird Seeker SB7L-360 reconnaissance aircraft on what the U.S. military described as "limited operations missions intended to protect infrastructure facilities and Iraq's borders." The two light reconnaissance planes are fitted with surveillance systems that can transmit live video images to ground forces. They are the first of a fleet that will eventually number 10 light aircraft of "similar capability," the...

An Iraqi air force Seeker reconnaissance aircraft awaits its first operational mission at Basra Airfield in southern Iraq, Aug. 18, 2004. The aircraft will be used to monitor oil pipelines and borders. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Steve Alvarez Iraqi Air Force Begins Operations By U.S. Army Sgt. Jared Zabaldo / Office of Security Transition / Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq BASRAH, Iraq, Aug. 20, 2004 — The Iraqi air force commenced operations Aug. 18, with the flights of two SB7L-360 Seeker reconnaissance aircraft in “limited operations missions” intended to protect infrastructure facilities and Iraq’s borders as part...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6, 2003 -- American forces have found Russian fighter jets buried in the Iraqi desert, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an Aug. 5 press briefing. "We'd heard a great many things had been buried, but we had not known where they were, and we'd been operating in that immediate vicinity for weeks and weeks and weeks … 12, 13 weeks, and didn't know they were (there)," Rumsfeld said. The secretary said he wasn't sure how many such aircraft had been found, but noted, "It wasn't one or two." He said it's a "classic example" of the challenges...

Iraqi Air Force Gets First Aircraft Aviation Week & Space Technology 06/28/2004, page 11 Edited by Patricia J. Parmalee Iraqi Air Force The U.S. Army has scrapped a planned acquisition of eight fixed-wing surveillance airplanes for Iraq because none of the bidders could meet requirements. However, the U.S. Central Command instead has moved forward and purchased two Australian-built SB7L-360 Seeker reconnaissance aircraft for the Iraqi air force with the goal of buying 14 more. The first are set for delivery in mid-July to the Basra airport. The Iraqi air force currently numbers about 150 people and should reach 500 by...

Iraqi Military Buys First Pair of Recon Aircraft By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USAAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 15, 2004 -- The Iraqi military soon will be cleared for flight after the purchase this week of two aircraft in Jordan, coalition officials in Baghdad said today. Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy operations director of Multinational Force Iraq, told reporters today the aircraft are part of a plan to provide surveillance capability to the growing Iraqi security forces. He said the two reconnaissance aircraft represent the first acquisitions in a planned purchase of 16 aerial observation and...

I ordered first a substantial increase in the training and equipment of South Vietnamese forces. . . . The primary mission of our troops is to enable the South Vietnamese forces to assume the full responsibility for the security of South Vietnam." President Richard M. Nixon, on his Vietnamization policy, Nov. 3, 1969."Eventually [Iraqi forces] must be the primary defenders of Iraqi security, as American and coalition forces are withdrawn. . . . At my direction, and with the support of Iraqi authorities, we are accelerating our program to help train Iraqis to defend their country." President George W. Bush,...