Russian AF delivery of Su-25 combat aircraft to Iraqi Air force.

Russian AF delivery of Su-25 combat aircraft to Iraqi Air force. HT: UskowiOnIran.

RuAF delivery of Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" close air support aircraft to IqAF on 29JUN14.

IqAF Su-25 combat aircraft presently undergoing assembly at Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Air Force Base (ICAO: ORTL / LID: TAL), located 20 kilometers southwest of Nasiriyah.

Russian sources claim initial five Su-25s rushed through ‘routine maintenance’ at ARZ 121 / Kubinka before shipment to IqAF. Also it's rumored Iraq's previous request for Iran to return Su-25 aircraft now in IRGC-AF inventory was declined, presumably based on Iranian defense needs and possibly operational condition.

It's said current IqAF pilot roster includes four individuals with experience flying the Sukhoi Su-25, however it's also said IqAF currently lacks trained ground crew personnel for this type.

Claim indicates number of Su-25 aircraft to be delivered to IqAF at twelve. Above 29 RED prior to delivery at ARZ 121 / Kubinka. Russian sources claim above aircraft of Su-25K specification. Iraqi sources are also claiming a forthcoming delivery of two Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" all-weather attack aircraft

Has the Iranian Air Force now (quasi-officially) intervened in Iraq?

Has the Iranian Air Force now (quasi-officially) intervened in Iraq? HT: Khalijisec

The video above,  show that Iraq has received Su-25 ground attack jets, purportedly from Russia and Belarus. For those who are not in the know, the Su-25 is a close support aircraft which is designed to primarily engage targets on the ground. More info on the Su-25 can be found here. 

It has not received the Su-24, as reported previously by news agencies, including Russia Today. The last time the Iraqis had the Su-25 in their inventory was in 2003. 

If there are any Iraqi pilots who still fly, or ground-crews that still work, then they will have almost certainly completely forgotten their trade. Pilots need to refresh their skills and fly many hours per year, pilots in the US fly around 120 hours per year, while French pilots fly 180 hours per year. 

De facto, the Iraqis have no combat-ready pilots. One Iraqi military officer has said that any former Iraqi pilots are now too old to fly them.

So the Iraqis don’t have any pilots. So, where do they get pilots from? Ideally, from a country that flies the Su-25 of course. Which countries fly the Su-25? Lets go through a list:

Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Chad, D.R Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Gambia, >> Iran <<, Ivory coast, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, North Korea, Peru, Russia, Slovakia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Hey, what do you know? Iran just happens to have the Su-25 in its inventory. The Iranians have also been kind enough to offer the Iraqis back the 130 planes that Saddam scattered into Iran to avoid American targeting in 1990-91. 

The Su-25 has also been very active, which mean.. Bingo ! Iranian pilots are getting enough hours with the Su-25, meaning they can fly them in combat operations.

Back in 2012, two Iranian Su-25s fired on a US Predator Drone. There’s been enough confidence with the Su-25 that the Iranians have also fielded them during air shows. But what makes the Su-25s special is that they’re the elite aircraft of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Air Corps, which is part of the IRGC. Yes, that IRGC which is fighting in Syria. So effectively now, it seems that the IRGC has prepared itself to intervene on the ground in Iraq, as it has done in Syria, with no doubt major consequences for the stability of Iraq.

Below, in Iranian service: IRGC-AF Sukhoi Su-25UBK "Frogfoot" close air support aircraft

Related: 

"Yes We Can" - First batch of Russian jets arrives in Iraq.

Iraq has purchased six Russian Su-30K, which are being repaired in Belarus.

Statement of Iran returning aircraft to Iraq, rumors of IRIAF ground attack training.

"Yes We Can" - First batch of Russian jets arrives in Iraq.

"Yes We Can" - First batch of Russian jets arrives in Iraq. (RT).

“The fighter jets landed today in the morning on different military airfields,” MP Abbas al-Bayati told Iraqi media.

The official spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Mohammed al-Askari, also confirmed the information, Al Iraqiya TV channel reported.

The fighter jets will be stationed at an airbase located in the southern part of the country, PressTV reported, citing military sources.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Maliki revealed that Iraq purchased jets from Russia and Belarus in order to help its fight against Sunni militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL).
At the same time, Maliki criticized the US for taking too long to deliver on its own contract after Iraq purchased F-16 jets from America.

On Friday, Iraqi Air Force Commander Hameed al-Maliki confirmed the shipment of MI-35 and MI-28 Russian helicopter fighters to "keep the momentum" in the attacks against ISIS, Ruptly reported.

The commander said that he signed three contracts with the Russians and stressed the importance of the choppers as "excellent anti-terrorism weapons."

The radical Sunni Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS or ISIL) has taken large parts of the country's north from the Shia government.

Hundreds of Iraqi soldiers have been killed by insurgents since the Sunni militants began their offensive on June 9, according to Iraqi forces.


The United Nations says more than 1,000 people – mainly civilians – have been killed during the surge thus far.Hmmm....Which pilots have experience on Prussian planes.......yes you guessed it Iranian. 

Iraq takes delivery of Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircraft, expected to be operational within days: pic.twitter.com/akzXViJU1C
— Memlik Pasha (@MemlikPasha) June 29, 2014

Iraq has purchased six Russian Su-30K, which are being repaired in Belarus.

Iraq has purchased six Russian Su-30K, which are being repaired in Belarus. HT: UskowiOnIran.

According to Russian defense media source RIA:

Director of the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade Igor Korotchenko suggested that Iraq has purchased six Russian Su-30K, which is being repaired in Belarus.

"Probably, it is about six Su-30K, which are available in Belarus 558 aircraft repair plant in Baranovichi," - said Korochenko RIA Novosti on Thursday.

He explained that it is part of a batch of 18 Russian Su-30K, which were returned after the operation in the Indian Air Force in accordance with the terms of the contract and passed on repair and restoration of the Belarus plant.

He suggested that in addition to these aircraft, Iraq could also be interested in the purchase of MiG-29 aircraft and attack helicopters Mi-24, already in operation or in Russia or Belarus.

COMMENTARY: Earlier in the week, there were rumors and reports that Iraq had requested combat aircraft that decades before escaped to Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. If accurate, this writer had interpreted this development in terms of Iran potentially providing military aircraft to Iraq in Iraqi markings, using Iranian air and ground crews. Such arrangements would in ways be similar, historically, to American aircraft using Republic of Vietnam markings in the Farm Gate operations, during America's early involvement in the Vietnam War.

It is assumed that should these Russian aircraft materialize in the time frame indicated by Iraq's PM, such foreign-operated arrangements appear likely. Hmmm....Great which Iranian pilots will fly them? :)

Related: 

Statement of Iran aircraft being returned to Iraq, rumors of IRIAF ground attack training