Iraqi Air Force Could Have Fighters by 2011

[sabra]

Source: Defense News

The Iraqi air force could be flying fighter jets by 2011, the U.S. Air Force’s top commander for Iraqi operations said Jan. 15.
Lt. Gen. Gary North, head of the 9th Air Force, explained during a talk in Washington, D.C., that he envisioned the Iraqi air force having its own fighter jets by 2011 or 2012. The fighter model or its capabilities would be up to Iraqi commanders to decide, North added.

The Iraqi military won’t get there without more help from the U.S. Air Force. North said that in 2008 the number of U.S. Air Force advisors working with their Iraqi counterparts should double to about 400 airmen.

The Iraqi air force hasn’t flown a fighter since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March 2003. The invasion left what fighters Iraq had either destroyed on the ground of rendered useless when the Iraqi military buried many of the jets to keep them from becoming targets.

Read more: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3310595&C=mideast

[leveymg]

1. Here's one of the planes they can put back into service:

Sand blasted clean, and ready for service. Flies faster without wings. Awesome.

[Desertrose]

2. Let me see..do I have this right?

We bomb the living hell out of their airforce & infrastructure and homes, and then *certain* US corporations get to come back in to rebuild & replace all this stuff.

Wow. Great deal for capitalism.

Not so good for the people who live there.....

...or maybe not so great for all the people who carry the finance of this *war on terra*. Wait...who are the terrorists again?

[leveymg]

5. A proven formula for keeping things pretty much as they have been since 1917.

The terrorists wear three piece suits and work unusually short hours.

Thay also generally don't like having their pictures taken.

[angstlessk]

3. Oh, the irony, just below this post about how 'fabulous' the iraqi military is doing is

this nugget: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3142466

I recon they now have the same priorities we have in the good ole USofA?

[bahrbearian]

4. And this will bring Peace ,How?

Oh, so they can bomb their own towns and villages. That will bring them Sovereign

[leveymg]

6. Remember "Peace through Strength"?

We'll give Iraq all our crappy, old B-52s and H-bombs, so they too can help make this a more peaceful world.

[BearSquirrel2]

7. Give em the junk.

The B-52 has no replacement so I doubt we'll give those away. I suspect those grounded F-15s will be a good candidate.

I could also see them using the Iraqi Airmen as a guinea pigs for the V-22 Osprey. The tricky bits are all in the software and I imagine you could make "black box" configurations that will not spit out it's contents and self destruct if tampered with.

[Plucketeer]

8. Well,

we can sell them stuff we've got mothballed in Kingman - OR - we could make nicey-nice with the Russkies and pay them to supply fighters 'n bombers. Surely they can do for a helluva lot less than US companies can.
I wouldn't make ANYONE risk their ass in an AssPray!

[Orsino]

9. How long before we can label them a threat and invade again? n/t

[tanyev]

10. Is Iraq going to have running water and electricity by 2011?

Jeez.