Iraq Air Force, trained in surveillance, graduate to combat ops
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Free Headline Alerts
BAGHDAD — The United States is preparing the Iraqi Air Force for training in ground attack operations.
Officials said the Iraq Air Force would be receiving platforms and training to enable the military service to conduct its first attacks since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.
They said the air force has already demonstrated significant capabilities in reconnaissance and transport missions.
"The Iraqi Air Force is growing in personnel and aircraft, leading to important capabilities in three missions: intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; battlefield mobility; and, soon, ground-attack operations," U.S. Brig. Gen. Brooks Bash, the U.S. adviser to the Iraqi Air Force, said.
At a June 18 news conference, Bash, commander of the Coalition Air Force Transition Team in Iraq, said the air force was contributing capabilities to the Iraqi military and police. The brigadier said the air force has made its greatest advances in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability.
So far, the air force has 11 surveillance aircraft, with an additional five scheduled to arrive in Iraq in 2008. Bash said the aircraft, which provided surveillance in Baghdad and Mosul, were capable of flying photo reconnaissance missions and video surveillance in day and night.
The Iraqi Air Force has 15 Mi-17 helicopters, 16 UH-2 helicopters and three C-130E aircraft for transport and supply of Iraqi ground forces. Officials said the fleet transported more than 3,400 Iraqi soldiers for the offensive in Basra in March 2008.
Bash said the Iraqi Air Force would need several years to perfect its close-air support mission. He said the Iraqi government plans to procure a fleet of 376 aircraft by 2020.