Iraq eyes air defense boost amid persistent challenges, says military spox

BAGHDAD — Yahya Rasool, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, outlined ongoing efforts to modernize Iraq’s air defenses, despite challenges. In an interview with Utv, Abdullah emphasized Iraq’s intent to strengthen its radar and missile capabilities, including a pending deal with South Korea for mid-range missiles. He also stated that Iraqi F-16 jets remain solely under Iraqi command, rejecting claims of U.S. control.

Excerpts from Yahya Rasool’s interview with Utv:

After the fall of Baghdad and the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Iraqi army was not rebuilt correctly, and even the army’s assets were transferred to the Ministry of Finance. Following that, there was a process to arm ground forces and some related units, but the air units remained unchanged, leaving us without a helicopter to confront ISIS in 2014.

In recent years, we lacked the funds necessary to arm the army adequately, but this changed after Mr. Al-Sudani assumed leadership of the armed forces, showing significant attention to the arming of air defense forces.

The Americans are wary of equipping the Iraqi army with air defense weapons, as they question where these weapons might end up and how they will be used. We also face difficulties in dealings with the Russian side due to sanctions, which has led our technical teams to seek contracts for armaments in several other countries.

We aspire to possess missiles with a range of 150 km, but we are currently negotiating with the Korean side to purchase missiles with ranges reaching 90 km. Currently, we have a French radar system from Thales, capable of covering all of Iraq.

We can detect all friendly and hostile aircraft at short and medium ranges, except for the F-35 aircraft, which can jam all types of radar, not just Iraqi radars.

Our armament is now diverse, including American and Russian weapons, along with cooperation with France on artillery systems. French artillery is advanced and highly accurate, like a handgun, and we also cooperate with Italy in the naval domain.

Iraqi F-16 aircraft are under the control of the Commander-in-Chief and the Minister of Defense, with no truth to claims that the Americans control them. They are subject to Iraqi command only, with no foreign authority, and I speak frankly and stand by my words.

We are focused on purchasing French Rafale jets because of their versatility; they are capable of air combat, can serve as bombers, provide support to ground units, and intercept hostile aircraft.

Israel may attempt to prevent Iraq from acquiring weapons, but it is our legitimate right. We should be equipped to a level higher than neighboring countries, or at least match their armament level, as Iraq’s stability guarantees stability for the Arabian Gulf, the Middle East, and Arabs.

The development of air defense depends on the nature of the targets and does not necessarily require S-300 or S-400 systems. Current systems can shoot down drones, as happened with the Turkish drone. We will soon have systems with a medium range reaching 90 km, and we aim to acquire systems capable of targeting at 150 km and 200 km.

The Korean system will arrive in Iraq early next year and will be distributed across air defense sectors in the country. We aim to gradually improve our defensive capabilities.

We are not at “C” alert level, but our forces remain in combat readiness, and we have plans and strategies to handle possible scenarios.