Iraq’s An-32
The Iraqi Air Force has released an infographics providing details of its operations against ISIS in the period between June 10, 2014 and December 31, 2017.
According to the released info, Lockheed Martin F-16IQ fighter jets carried out 514 combat sorties, Su-25 attack aircraft carried out 3,562 combat sorties, L-159 advanced light combat aircraft carried out 398 combat sorties and An-32 cargo planes (used as bombers) participated in 990 combat missions.
An interesting fact is that AC-208 Combat Caravan light attack aircraft carried out 3,459 strike missions. These aircraft launched 2,660 Hellfire missiles.
Iraq’s An-32
The Iraqi Air Force’s RC-208B reconnaissance aircraft conducted 1,118 combat missions while King Air 350ER Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance aircraft carried out 3,241 combat missions.
Summing up, the Iraqi military appreas to rely on An-32 cargo planes converted into bombers more than on US-supplied F-16IQ fighter jets. Isn’t this strange?
Click to see the full-size image
America never attacked ISIS they had lots of Oops.
It’s not strange. Maybe because the cargo plane are easier to handle and has more payload than export to Arabs F16 ever can hope to be.
That cargo plane should be able to land on dirt and gravel runways closer to the action. That’ll enable it to be refueled and armed faster. Probably gets better gas mileage, too.
The cargo plane is owned by the Iraq Air Force, they actually want to hit ISIS, as opposed to the F16’s which are owned by the US and they are not really interested in hitting ISIS.
Message to weapons buyers.
US made weapons are expensive to buy and to own due to high service and low operability costs.
Rather like a trophy girlfriend or wife.
Russian made weapons are a fair price and can be maintained easily in combat conditions.
They do what they are designed to do.
RUSSIAN WEAPONS ARE BETTER AND AFFORDABLE
Well done Iraqi Air forces: They need to tackle the criminal USA forces, who are enabling the terrorists!!
Thanks for carrying on with the anti terrorists in their country. Well done Iraqi Air forces: They need to tackle the criminal USA forces, who are enabling the terrorists!!
ISIS is US proxy army… so their area is US protectorate
I still don’t understand why there’s a large Isis area in western Iraq in southfront maps. Is southfront wrong or is the Iraqi government being stupid
Yes there still ISIS in the area that had border with syria, maybe they think it harmless right now and doing some operation in that area require more money and men that iraq didnt want, so it seems they like waiting the puss to big enough to crush that make that disgusting to do rather than prevent them while it small and not disgusting enough to removed
Iraq can’t attack until the U.S. has arranged for safe passage / relocation of the ISIS fighters.
SF does that to make it look dramatic. That region of Western Iraq and Eastern Syria is a desolate desert with scant water resources. The few roads out there connect the few hamlets that actually have a dependable water well. ISIS is holed up in those with nowhere to go. The Iraqi forces and the SDF have been planning an operation to put the squeeze on them by moving down from the north and up from the south. They announced that a few weeks ago, probably to see if ISIS will start moving men and material around so they’ll know just where they’re at.
it is not strange.
F16 can be remotely hijacked via computer network and they will not bomb accurately, if Israel/US do not want.
cannot happen to Soviet equipment.
second point is a financial one.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Air_Force#Current_inventory
F16 : 23
SU25: 21
Though the Iraqi air force is to receive more f16 (https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/iraq-seeks-f-16-fighters-05057/), the number of F16 and SU25 is comparable, but the SU25 flew 3562 versus only 990 sorties.