According to the BBC:
Lieutenant General Anwar Hama Amin: ''We are in dire need of these aircraft during this difficult time''
Iraq says it has received the first batch of fighter jets it ordered from Russia to help it as it fights an offensive by Sunni rebels.
The defence ministry said five Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft would enter service in "three to four days".COMMENTARY: Criteria for selection of this combat aircraft type for rushed service to IqAF likely includes:
- Urgent need for close air support fixed-wing aircraft.
- Iraq's past combat experience with this aircraft type during the 1980s and 1990s.
- Russia's more neutral stance towards the composition of Iraq's next government.
- Russia's support for Iraq's current ally Syria in the war against ISIL
- Aircraft type commonality of servce with ally Iran, among which a number of former IqAF Su-25s escaped to during the Gulf War in 1991.
Within Iraq's time frame for claimed service of this type, nationality of air and ground crews is open to speculation, with IRGC-AF among the possibilities.
Whether this has any effect on Maliki's ability to remain in power as prime minister of Iraq is yet to be seen. However among reasons cited above, choice of this aircraft type for IqAF service signals a further political and diplomatic entrenchment by current Baghdad government.
Below, in Iranian service: IRGC-AF Sukhoi Su-25UBK "Frogfoot" close air support aircraft
As mentioned in another thread, this is the type of aircraft Iraq was looking for and not the Su-30 that people tried to publish news about. You don't go with Su-30 for fighting rebels. Iran has warned Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Kurdistan (Iraqi) and the US that any Maliki government jet fighter shot down in Iraq during fight against ISIS will be the redline for Iran. The same warning has come out of Russia regarding smuggling of MANPADs to the rebels. The US has asked its allies to not get involved in MANPAD business as it will be a lose-lose game in the long run. Having said that reports already confirm smuggling of Libyan MANPADs to Syria for fight against Assad and now into Iraq via Syria. Russian navy and satellites are closely monitoring smuggling paths into Syria and Iraq and it will soon reveal some of these facts to the world. Russian intelligence has also spotted ISIS rebel leaders in Doha and Dubai, flown in via Ankara, for establishing alternative financial transaction support routes and also weapons purchasing and smuggling. ISIS rebels are asking Qatar and UAE to push Saudi Arabia for letting the weapons be smuggled into Iraq via the Saudi border. UAE has appointed a former high-ranking Pakistani intelligence officer to help the rebels with procurement and smuggling of weapons. The majority of the strategy and plan is made by the Academi (formerly known as BlackWater Worldwide) firm's Middle East operations.
ReplyDeleteManpads pose a grave danger to precisely this type of aircraft. They can easily bring down the sub-sonic and stale Su-25. Hopefully the recent delivery included flare bundles to alleviate the risk of getting hit by heat seeking missiles. The Su-20/22, with its swing-wing design and afterburners, is superior in every way. As for the Su-30, it's a multi-role aircraft, which means it can take on the duty of Close Air Support. Whether they will be used to perform such a task remains to be seen. They will probably be reserved for interception missions. Su-25 is single-role, it's good at CAS, barely anything else. In air-to-air combat it could challenge helicopters and drones only.
DeleteIraq is looking for Su-25 for CAS and Su-24 for CAS missions where "carpet bombing" is required. It is the strategy to use Su-24 for bombing ISIS colons on escape...the strategy is to finish ISIS, not let them out of Iraqi towns. Su-25 is an easy to maintain CAS jet, in that type of operation, like the US A-10, u don't want to fly super sonic the whole purpose is to chase ground forces. It is much cheaper than A-10, it is heavily tolerant aircraft regarding getting hit and being able to fly, it is cheap to operate and you can tank it at nearest gas station without any problem.
DeleteBrig. Gen great professional analysis indeed....I am from Kenya and has learned alot from your analysis...anyway, now that Iraqi forces are running away from the battle field like chicken and the rebels seem to be using Turkey intelligence...are we likely to see Qods forces get their boots on the ground proper? because I believe Qods if the best asymmetrical force in the whole region
DeleteKenyan !
Deletewelcome -would you please give us some information concerning the two innocent Iranians languishing in Naivasha maximum prison accused as terrorists by the lazy incompetent Kenyan police !.
there has been information from some Russian agencies that 10 aircrafts have been already delivered.
ReplyDeleteThe contract has been signed in urgent mode for those previously used aircrafts, and totals around $500 millions.
First batches of those aircrafts have been delivered by the biggest russian airplanes AN-124.
It should not be a suprise, if they would be flown by Iranian or Russian pilots toogether with Iraqis during the same flights.
That contract should enlighten minds all those (including deluded), who claim that Iran will be doomed by the military actions of the US and israel, and shows that Russia will help Islamic Republic militarilly, in a case of most urgent needs !!
A-F
One has to wonder who will be flying these aircraft,after all the iraqi airforce of saddams time died a slow and miserable death from sanctions/lack of spares/destruction by the coalition back in the 90s,and the pilots who were rated on the su25 back in the late 80s/early 90s are not exactly young anymore,nor would they have had many flight hours over the last decade or more,so just because you may have the aircraft that doesnt necessarily mean you can operate them effectively,iran however does have both the trained pilots and technical support to operate these planes and the pgms to arm them with.The big irony here is that saddams military appears to have been far more capable than the american supplied and trained replacement that at the first sign of trouble dropped their expensive superior american supplied hardware and ran as fast as they could in the opposite direction.
ReplyDelete