The Pentagon has notified Congress of the proposed sale of an additional 18 new F-16 fighters to Iraq or help reconstitute that nation’s fledgling air force. Already, the United States is supplying Iraq with 18 F-16s and associated weapons, equipment, and support services under a foreign military sales arrangement. This potential second transaction, announced on Monday and worth an estimated $2.3 billion, would double that total to 36 new-build F-16s. “The proposed sale will allow the Iraqi air force to modernize its air force by acquiring western-interoperable fighter aircraft, thereby enabling Iraq to support both its own air defense needs and coalition operations,” states the Defense Department’s release on Monday. “We hope that the Congress will approve another group of F-16 airplanes to Iraq because our air force was destroyed completely during the war that Iraq entered into,” stated Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki on Monday during a press conference with President Obama at the White House.
Meink Suggests E-7 Program Remains Unresolved
Feb. 24, 2026
Air Force leadership needs to have a "discussion" with Congress on the long-term future of the E-7 Wedgetail, Secretary Troy Meink said, after lawmakers blocked a Pentagon plan to cancel the program in 2026. Meink's remarks leave open the possibility that the Defense Department will try to curtail the airborne…
