Lockheed Martin to train Iraqi Air Force F-16 pilots for two more years

Posted On
a
World Defense & Security News - Lockheed Martin
 
 
Lockheed Martin to train Iraqi Air Force F-16 pilots for two more years
 
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $12,6 million contract from the US Air Force to provide Iraqi Air Force F-16 fighter jets pilots with training solutions, the US Department of Defense stated on its website on April 27, 2017.
     
Lt. Col. Julian Pacheco and Iraqi air force captain Hama land one of the IAF's new F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft Dec. 16, 2014, at the Tucson International Airport, Ariz.
(Credit: USAF/Senior Airman Jordan Castelan)
     
"Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by June 27, 2019. This contract is 100 percent foreign military sales to Iraq. The Air Force Installation Contracting Agency, 338th Specialized Contracting Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, is the contracting activity," the US DoD said.

Iraqi pilots are currently flying 14 F-16 fighter jets on missions against ISIS. The F-16s were part of a $3.86 billion buy order from Iraq in 2011 for 36 Lockheed Martin F-16s. The Iraqi Air Force received its first batch of F-16 fighters on 13 July 2015.


Iraqi F-16s on Feb. 2017 carried out the first airstrikes in Syria by Iraqi forces against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria targets, according to a statement from the Iraqi government.

In addition to this sale, the US government gave its green light to a $1.9 bn weapon package for the IAF F-16 fighter jets in Jan. 2016. It includes i.e. AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles ; 150 AGM-65D/G/H/K Maverick missiles ; 14,120 500-lb General Purpose bombs ; 2,400 2,000-lb GP bombs ; and 8,250 Laser Guided Bomb Paveway II tail kits.