As we reported Wednesday, the Iraqi Air Force would like to have fighter aircraft, including perhaps US F-16s, to build an air defense arsenal after US forces depart, but there is some concern about providing advanced fighters. However, for the short term, according to Army Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, the US does plan to send a USAF team to make some recommendations. US forces are slated to leave by 2011, which doesn’t really leave enough time to field a fighter aircraft force, including requisite training and infrastructure development. Odierno was talking with reporters traveling with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who met with Iraqi officials July 28. Gates said that he actually expects to be able to speed up the shift of combat brigades out of Iraq. Odierno told the reporters, “We’re going to bring this team over here to try and get them some creative solutions that might allow them to have some capacity by 2011.” He did not rule out Iraq acquiring retired USAF F-16s or foreign fighters as part of the solution. (AFPS July 28 report and July 29 report)
Details Murky as ARRW Falls Short in Second Test
March 24, 2023
The second all-up flight of the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon on March 13 fell short of a fully successful test, but the Air Force isn’t saying what went wrong with the Lockheed Martin-built hypersonic missile. The defense giant's Missiles and Fire Control division recently said the ARRW is "ready…