Jonathan Haylock
13:35, 13 мая 2021
Photo: Andrey Kataev / RIA Novosti
The Iraqi Air Force (Air Force) may abandon the use of American F-16IQ Fighting Falcon multirole fighters and replace them with Russian-made aircraft. Military Watch writes about it.
According to the newspaper, 34 F-16 fighters are in service with the Iraqi Air Force - they were delivered to the country in 2014-2017. At the same time, the maintenance of these aircraft depends primarily on American specialists, who in the near future may be withdrawn from Iraq due to a change in the political situation in the country.
In this regard, Baghdad is already thinking about purchasing new aircraft. Back in August 2020, high-ranking Iraqi military officials said they hoped to receive Russian fifth-generation Su-57 fighters in the future. However, while these machines look too expensive for the country, in connection with which Iraq may pay attention to more affordable options - MiG-29 or MiG-35, Military Watch notes.
First, the publication believes that working with such aircraft would help the pilots of the Iraqi Air Force gain the experience necessary to fly higher-class fighters, in particular the Su-57 or Su-30SM2. Secondly, the MiG-29 is equipped with more modern weapons compared to the F-16 modification supplied to Iraq. For example, the Russian aircraft is armed with R-77 air-to-air missiles with active radar homing heads, while the American fighter is equipped with the "obsolete Cold War era missiles" AIM-7 Sparrow or AIM-9L / M.
In addition, the purchase of Russian fighters would be a logical continuation of Iraq's policy of acquiring Russian-made weapons: earlier it was reported about Baghdad's interest in purchasing the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile system.
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MiG-35 / mil.ru
F-16 Fighting Falcon: Details
MiG-35/35D Fulcrum-F: Details
Su-30SM/Su-30SM1: Details
Sukhoi Su-57: Details
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