Iraq wants their fighters back

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 politicians," he told a news briefing in Baghdad.

"But we hope we could bring back some of these aircraft to Iraq," he said, adding that only a few would be salvageable.

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I wonder how likely it is that Iran would actually turn over these fighters, considering the ones that are working are part of their air force.

Considering the age and condition of most of these aircraft, Iraq would be better off forgetting about them and leaving them with the Iranians. If the IRIAF wants to spend it's limited resources returning some of them to service then that will divert scarce funding from more capable aircraft, so they will be a handicap and a burden. The fledgling Iraqi air force would be better off concentrating on the future and trying to aquire more modern types then resurrecting obsolete 70s vintage Soviet machines. I think we might have a few sqns of Jags that have been updated and are just sitting on an airfield apron waitng for the scrap man that the Iraqis could have at a reasonable price...

Some refurbished French Mirage 2000's will do for now... I just don't see the Iranians returning the ex-Iraqi birds for nothing as they see them as part of the repatriations for the Iran-Iraq War...

What the Iraqi's need is something that is easy to maintain, fairly capable, and fairly cheap. Also, such an aircraft would focus primarily on air to ground missions, due to the current situation in Iraq.

Pointblank said:

Some refurbished French Mirage 2000's will do for now... I just don't see the Iranians returning the ex-Iraqi birds for nothing as they see them as part of the repatriations for the Iran-Iraq War...

What the Iraqi's need is something that is easy to maintain, fairly capable, and fairly cheap. Also, such an aircraft would focus primarily on air to ground missions, due to the current situation in Iraq.

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It's 16 year since the first gulf war, I don't see any point to get those aircraft back.

For the Iraqi's current situation, do you imply that FC-1/JF-17 is what they should go for?

Currently the Iraqi AF is largely dependent on foreign donations for its equipment. I seriously doubt it has any budget to acquire fighter aircraft. They do, however, have a number of J-7's and Mirage F-1's in storage.

If and when the Iraqi government becomes more stable (not any time soon), the best option for them is probably follow Egypt and Jordan's lead and mooch as much assistance off US as possible to get F-16's. The best aircraft for them is ones that someone else's tax payers paid for. =p I suspect that whatever Iraqi government takes power will have to invest heavily in domestic security just to keep the place pacified on the ground.