Iraq will be equipped with French-made “Rafale fighters”

According to Fars News Agency’s International Service, a US media outlet recently reported that the Iraqi army is seeking several purchases of various weapons, including Rafale fighter jets, French-made drones and artillery, as well as Russian T-90 tanks, and talks are under way. in processing.

According to the website «Defense NewsFrance has offered to sell 20 drones to Iraq. “The Iraqi Ministry of Defense is currently conducting technical analysis,” said Norman Ricklofs, director of the Letter Geopolitical Advisory Group, a former adviser to the Iraqi interior minister and deputy defense minister.

Informed sources said that an Iraqi delegation is scheduled to travel to France in the near future to inspect the drones.

Ricklefs, who recently spoke to Iraqi defense officials about supply plans, said a contract for the drones had not yet been signed. Ricklefs said Iraq is also in talks to buy Pakistani drones. “Pakistan has also offered to sell 20 drones to Iraq, but the Iraqi Ministry of Defense is still analyzing the offer,” he said.

“Iraq is negotiating many contracts, including armed drones capable of flying 30 hours in Iraqi airspace,” said Maj. Gen. Qassim al-Mohammadi, commander of the Iraqi Army. There are also plans to increase the number of tanks, divisions and brigades to increase the capacity of the Iraqi army. “The unit is currently using American Abrams and Russian T-90 tanks.”

“There are high-precision artillery systems coming in from France, as well as weapons systems equipped with night-vision,” he said. “Iraq has signed many contracts for equipment.”

According to this news source, the Iraqi Air Force, in turn, is looking for the French Rafale fighter. In September 2021, Mohammad Reza al-Haidar, chairman of the Iraqi parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, revealed that Iraq and Paris had signed an agreement for this type of fighter.

“We have signed a contract with a Pakistani company to buy an aircraft,” Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Anad said, according to media reports recently. . »

Pakistani media had previously reported that talks had taken place between Islamabad and Baghdad to purchase 12 GF-17 fighter jets worth $ 664 million.

General Juma Anad had previously visited Pakistan in May 2021, during which he held meetings with Pakistani officials to discuss Iraq’s interest in purchasing this type of fighter. Earlier, a Pakistani newspaper reported that Pakistan-Iraq talks on the purchase of the fighter ended during a visit by an Iraqi defense delegation led by the deputy commander of the Iraqi Air Force.

Iraq has significant maintenance problems with 34 US-made F-16 fighter jets. After Washington’s withdrawal from Iraq, these jets have a much lower level of maintenance than required by the United States. About 20 of these aircraft are in good flight condition but lack vital weapons such as air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

The media recently reported that the Iraqi F-16 fighter fleet was grounded. The American company “Lockheed Martin” recently announced that for security reasons, the American crew had withdrawn the maintenance of the “F-16” fighters from Iraq, and this has caused the grounding of these fighters.

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