Iraq eyes Lockheed F-16 fighter aircraft purchase

The Iraqi government has asked for information about buying 36 F-16 fighter aircraft built by Lockheed Martin Corp, the U.S. Defense Department said on Friday.

The request, received August 27, is being reviewed "in the normal course of business" as part of the U.S. government-to-government arms sale process, said Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman.

Updated F-16s are among the world's most advanced multirole fighters and a powerful symbol of military ties to the United States.

Iraq's interest in the fighter jet, reported first by The Wall Street Journal, could spark concerns among neighbors worried about advanced arms in the hands of a country still facing major internal challenges.

U.S. reviews of possible arms sale can take a year or more. They involve the departments of State and Defense as well as Congress and weigh power balances, technology security and other thorny issues. If a contract were ultimately signed, deliveries could take another year or more, depending on the model in question.

The Pentagon did not specify which F-16 version Iraq was eyeing, nor whether it was new or refurbished. A Lockheed spokesman referred questions to the Pentagon.

F-16C/D Block 50/52 models are now being produced for Poland, Israel, Greece and Pakistan. The United Arab Emirates was the maiden customer for the Block 60 version, the most sophisticated F-16 produced to date.

More than 4,400 F-16s have been delivered worldwide, according to Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed Martin. Morocco this year became the 25th and latest overseas buyer with a deal for 24 new Block 50/52 models and related gear said by the Pentagon to be worth as much as $2.4 billion.

Iraq's request for pricing and availability data might not necessarily lead to a sale. Sometimes governments seek such information for planning purposes only, the Pentagon's Ryder said.

Flush with billions of dollars from oil sales, Iraq is emerging as the biggest client for a wide range of U.S. weapons -- a shot in the arm for defense contractors such as Lockheed, Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp, General Dynamics Corp and Raytheon Co.

Among other systems, Iraq is seeking more than 400 armored vehicles plus six C-130 transport planes built by Lockheed, the Pentagon's No. 1 supplier.

On July 30, the Pentagon notified Congress that Iraq also was seeking to buy 24 Textron Inc Bell Armed 407 or 24 Boeing AH-6 helicopters along with 565 120mm mortars, 665 81mm mortars, 200 AGM-114M Hellfire missiles and other arms that could be worth $2.4 billion.

Baghdad and Washington are working on a long-term security pact that calls for U.S. military forces to quit Iraq's cities by next summer as a step toward a broader withdrawal from the country that U.S.-led forces invaded in 2003 to topple President Saddam Hussein.

F-16s would let Iraqi forces conduct airstrikes of their own on insurgent positions rather than relying on U.S. forces to do so, as is now the case.

Overseas sales have kept Lockheed's F-16 production line open after the U.S. military shifted to more advanced fighters, including the radar-evading F-22 also built by Lockheed.

"The program is healthy and full of activity, with firm production through 2012 and a strong likelihood of new orders that will extend the line for several more years," John Larson, vice president for Lockheed's F-16 programs, told reporters in July at the Farnborough Air Show outside London.

(Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, John Wallace, Phil Berlowitz)

I thought I should post this, as I think it marks an interesting milestone in the Iraqi government's efforts to rebuild its national military, and move toward self sufficiency. It's also a useful indicator for noting the state of the government's stability, and sense of self confidence.

Maintaining a squadron of fighter aircraft is no small affair. Doing so requires a level of technical expertise and maintainance far above and beyond squads of gunman in the back of toyota pickup trucks. You need experts that know how to maintain the engines, avionics, and other misc. systems, and an infrustructure for training and deploying them. As a general rule, fighter pilots in even the most backwater of countries are well educated, highly trained, and well supported compared to most other branches of the military.

Active fighter squadrons would also allow for a level of military autonomy that will make the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces a real possibility. Air power and the ability to deliver support at a moment's notice is one of the most critical force multiplyers that makes the U.S. military as effective as is, and right now the Iraqi military, patterning itself after our own military doctrines, is still reliant on U.S. air power to support its operations against insurgents. If the Iraqi military is strong enough to support itself, that leaves us more options on the table for drawing down our involvement in their everyday affairs. And once Iraq can use its military power to self sufficiently provide its own security, it can turn around and start pouring this oil wealth into its social infrastructure: schools, roads, hospitals, universities, etc.

Caveats? Well, the most obvious is probably the fact that we don't want an unstable Iraqi government to one day fall with a buttload of advanced American fighter technology sitting in its hangers. That would, yes, suck.

But more importantly, we also want to avoid a situation where this new air power is used not to defend the country's law abiding citizens, but to oppress them. That, in my mind, would be an absolute calamity. It would undermine any good that might have come from all the misery and bloodshed so far, and would be no better than having Saddam in power.