Iraq seeks to buy US-made F-16 fighter jets

.
Iraq wants to buy an initial squadron of American F16 fighter jets this year to help to guard against perceived threats from Iran and Syria after US forces leave, the head of the Iraqi Air Force said yesterday.

Lieutenant-General Anwar Ahmed said that he hoped to sign a contract for 18 F16s, manufactured by the technology company Lockheed Martin, as the centrepiece of billions of dollars that Iraq is expected to spend on arms in coming years.

“This is very important to us,” he said during a visit to Washington. “It is a priority.”

He said that if funds were made available by the Iraqi parliament his goal was to acquire up to 96 F16s by 2020. The US is also producing the fighter jets for Israel, Pakistan, Poland and Greece.

READ MORE