Iraq to buy 28 Czech L-159 fighter jets for $1 billion

[RawandKurdistani]

October 12, 2012

PRAGUE, — The Czech Republic will deliver 28 L-159 fighter jets to Iraq and Czech experts will participate in the training of Iraqi pilots, Czech Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra said after meeting his Iraqi counterpart Sadun al-Dulaymi Friday.

The contract for the Czech-made aircraft is worth about one billion U.S. dollars. The training is to start as soon as possible, Vondra said.

The deal comes as a part of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's program to rebuild the country's air force and control its vulnerable airspace.

The purchase of Czech L159 jets came as Maliki faces pressure from Washington to prevent Iran transporting arms through Iraqi airspace to help Tehran's ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his battle to end a 19-month-old uprising.

Four of the two-seat aircraft will be fighter planes owned by the Czech military and the remaining 24 will be new ones.

Vondra thus confirmed the information that Reuters news agency released Friday,www.ekurd.net citing a spokesman for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The spokesman told Reuters that Iraq will receive the four old L-159s for free.

Iraq has no real air force since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, and Baghdad says it will not be able to defend its airspace until 2020.

"We have a deal to buy 24 L159 combat and training aircraft from the Czech Republic. Four of them will be given for free and will be handed over within seven months," Ali al-Moussawi, Maliki's media advisor, told Reuters by telephone from Prague.

L159s are sub-sonic planes used for training or as light combat planes. The Czech Republic has not been able to sell the jets beyond the Czech army so the Iraqi deal would be a huge success for its arms industry.
Reuters

Maliki is visiting the Czech Republic as well. He arrived in Prague on Thursday.

The first of the four Czech military´s jets will be transferred to Iraq seven months after the contract takes effect, Vondra said.

The Czech producer Aero Vodochody will start delivering the new aircraft to Iraq in approximately two years.

The negotiations on the purchase lasted more than a year.

After the details of the contract are agreed on by experts from the two countries, the contract will be signed, Vondra said.

Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, ctk.cz | ceskenoviny.cz | Reuters

[Kure Kurda!]

We really need to start do something about this and buy our shelf jet fighter other wise the iraqis will rape us will we are watching them doing it.
And don't come with "no problem the Pesmerga will take care of it when the war comes" they cant take care of 23 jet fighter.
And do we really have any alarm system or something that will discover iraq jet fighters over kurdistan and perhaps shoot them downs?

In Time Of Peace Prepare For War!

[Rando]

:(

We really need to start do something about this and buy our shelf jet fighter other wise the iraqis will rape us will we are watching them doing it.
And don't come with "no problem the Pesmerga will take care of it when the war comes" they cant take care of 23 jet fighter.
And do we really have any alarm system or something that will discover iraq jet fighters over kurdistan and perhaps shoot them downs?

In Time Of Peace Prepare For War!

Agree. We need an air force. All those tanks and Artillery pieces are nothing without air support.
Peshmerga would be able to defend some of the mountain parts. However Kirkuk and other disputed territories (not mountainous) would easily be taken.
but these jets are not the real "badboys". The real badboys is the F-16 block 52s and MiG-29M2 iraq is getting.
we need to make our own big arms deals.

[RawandKurdistani]

Who knows what kind of weapons the Peshmerga owns, they could easily have bought some fighters from Russia or China.

[unitedkurdistan]

The iraqi people are living in poverty while their leaders are constantly having weapon contracts with other countries worth several billion dollars. This is a clear sign of typical arabic dictatorship, Kak Massoud gotta declare independence as soon as possible or we will never leave iraq.

[RawandKurdistani]

The iraqi people are living in poverty while their leaders are constantly having weapon contracts with other countries worth several billion dollars. This is a clear sign of typical arabic dictatorship, Kak Massoud gotta declare independence as soon as possible or we will never leave iraq.

The KRG are'nt idiotic, they know just like us that Kurdistan needs to seperate as soon as possible. When south Kurdistan finally gets recognised as an official country, it will be used as the main platform for liberating the other parts as well.

[unitedkurdistan]

The iraqi people are living in poverty while their leaders are constantly having weapon contracts with other countries worth several billion dollars. This is a clear sign of typical arabic dictatorship, Kak Massoud gotta declare independence as soon as possible or we will never leave iraq.

The KRG are'nt idiotic, they know just like us that Kurdistan needs to seperate as soon as possible. When south Kurdistan finally gets recognised as an official country, it will be used as the main platform for liberating the other parts as well.

Who said KRG are idiotic? I say that they need to speed up the process on building the foundation of Kurdistan so that the country will survive once independant. To example we need to speed up the process on building the kurdish oil infrastructure, start focusing on getting revenues from tax, start exporting oil to neigbouring countries like turkey so that we won't be dependant on iraq for our yearly budget. We need to change our(depending on iraqi money) attitude.

[purearch72]

Well said united, I always think about this, for example I read an article saying that the krg should invest money in usa business an investment of 4 billion would generate 400 million a year for the rest of krg life, I think this is the path israel took.

[kardox]

Iraq is arming, and our enemies within Kurdistan (JASHS) are promoting and supporting iraqiness and Maliki.
If kurdistan is ruined Jashs will be happy, they will have a major comeback.

[Lepzerin]

Does Maliki even have trained pilots for all these planes he is buying?

[purearch72]

Does Maliki even have trained pilots for all these planes he is buying?

The Czech Republic will deliver 28 L-159 fighter jets to Iraq and Czech experts will participate in the training of Iraqi pilots, Czech Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra said after meeting his Iraqi counterpart Sadun al-Dulaymi Friday.

[RawandKurdistani]

The iraqi people are living in poverty while their leaders are constantly having weapon contracts with other countries worth several billion dollars. This is a clear sign of typical arabic dictatorship, Kak Massoud gotta declare independence as soon as possible or we will never leave iraq.

The KRG are'nt idiotic, they know just like us that Kurdistan needs to seperate as soon as possible. When south Kurdistan finally gets recognised as an official country, it will be used as the main platform for liberating the other parts as well.

Who said KRG are idiotic?

I know you did'nt say it, i was just pointing it out

[jjmuneer]

When South Kurdistan becomes independant, it will get invaded from two fronts. Turkey and Iran, we will have to make defensive preparations when the time comes.

[RawandKurdistani]

When South Kurdistan becomes independant, it will get invaded from two fronts. Turkey and Iran, we will have to make defensive preparations when the time comes.

Iran is about to go down, and the turkish terrorists won't be the big deal if Kurdistan gets recognised by the world powers.

[jjmuneer]

When South Kurdistan becomes independant, it will get invaded from two fronts. Turkey and Iran, we will have to make defensive preparations when the time comes.

Iran is about to go down, and the turkish terrorists won't be the big deal if Kurdistan gets recognised by the world powers.

Lets not fool our selves with nationalist poetry against our enemies, the reality will be they will come. I'm certain of it, because of the current developments in Western Kurdistan.