"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit)
07/01/2014 at 13:28 • Filed to: Iraqi Air Force, Planeopnik
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"No, I don't thank you for the fish at all" (notindetroit)
07/01/2014 at 13:28 • Filed to: Iraqi Air Force, Planeopnik | 0
| 0 |
The above image, circulated by Lockheed Martin to various aero-news outlets such as !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! with David Cenciotti reporting and our very own Tyler Rogoway's !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , has been around long enough for most military aviation enthusiasts to be familiar with (especially with its striking and unique camo-livery). The trouble with ISIS/ISIL/al-Dawlah al-Islmyah f al-Irq wa-al-Shm/whatever you want to call these jokers not only means an urgent need for tactical close-support aircraft, but rumors that F-16 delivery delays are intentional for fears of these aircraft falling into the wrong hands. Whether a wise move or even deliberate by the State Department, the proper and legitimate government of Iraq needs tactical aircraft now , so they've turned to an old and familiar source - Russia.
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In addition to the F-16s the Iraqis will be adding !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! to their front-line inventory - in fact, the Su-25s have already arrived by massive An-124 transport, and are awaiting assembly:
Both the Su-24 and Su-25 would already be familiar to the IrAF, but that familiarity is largely theoretical: the last time Saddam's airpower flew with any effectiveness would be at least shortly before the 2003 invasion serving as missile magnets against U.S. and coalition interceptors over the No-Fly Zones, and during OIF virtually the entirety of his air force sat on the ground hastily buried under the sand (and what wasn't immediately became smart-bomb sponges). Although there are reports that some venerated IrAF "Frogfoot" pilots are coming out of retirement to train new crews, they're largely starting over.
Image credit Dmitry Pichugin used under GNU Free Document License
The Su-25ks Iraq is receiving, similar to the Kazakhstani example above, are reportedly used examples pulled from mothballed Russian stocks (which makes sense, as most new Su-25s actually come from the Republic of Georgia where the original production line had been established during the Soviet days). Usually likened as the Soviet analogue of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the Su-25 is less a dedicated tank killer and hails mostly from the legacy of the Nazi Junkers (pronounced "Yonkers" like the New York borough) !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the Soviet's own Ilyushiun (yes, pronounced exactly like that thing magicians do) !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (yes, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). Like the A-10 and the WWII inspirations it draws from, the Su-25 "Frogfoot" is heavily armed, armored and relatively fast. Only the A-10 is as specifically designed to support friendly troops on the ground and kill the enemy's, which made them priority targets for both the Iranians during the Iran/Iraq War and the U.S./Coalition forces during Desert Storm.
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This U.S. military photograph shows the remains of an Iraqi Su-25 shot down during Desert Storm by the U.S. Air Force.
Without the overwhelming anti-air access of the USAF facing them, the new IrAF will likely find the Su-25s ideal for their operations against ISIS.
Image credit Sharam Sharifi, shared under Creative Commons License
The Su-24 "Fencer" is a much different aircraft, closely resembling the USAF's F-111 "Aardvark" in both appearance and role. Lacking the "Aardvark's" internal bomb bay (which was rarely used anyway other than for extra fuel or targeting pods) the Su-24 can still loft an impressive array of bombs and precision-guided munitions at once. Its swing-wing design and (for the time) advanced radar made it an idea tactical "penetration bomber" before the Stealth Age, flying low and fast and using terrain features to mask itself from radar and air defenses. It was also a popular anti-ship bomber which is what the Iraqis primarily used it for during the Saddam Era. Against the strong air defense of the Coalition in Desert Storm, Saddam decided it preferable to send his precious few "Fencers" (along with most of his surviving air force) to the Iranians in hopes that they strongly believed in "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" philosophies. They didn't - the Iranians were simply glad for the new surprising additions, which means the Iranian Su-24 seen above used to be Iraqi.
The "new" Su-24s (once again pulled from mothballed stocks as the Su-24 ended production long ago, being superseded by the Su-27 "Flanker"-based !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! which can be thought of as an F-15E Strike Eagle analogue) are a somewhat puzzling addition to the IrAF and their urgent close air support mission. Quadaffi's Libyan Air Force and Assad's Syrian Air Force Su-24s were all hastily employed in the CAS role against "Arab Spring" rebels, but they're not an ideal aircraft for the role, at least in comparison to the Su-25. More than likely, the Russians simply offered them, and being a ground attack aircraft of any type the IrAF was more than happy to accept. It's possible the IrAF is looking towards the future already with an aircraft capable of striking strategically and logistically-important targets in Tehran and Damascus or help sink vessels in the Hormuz Straight, if an ISIS-controlled Syria and "old enemies" in Iran wanted to start something.
Image Credit Aldo Bindi, used under GNU Free Document License
Another major addition the IrAF is waiting on is the K !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . Not to be confused with !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , the T-50 and it's FA-50 spin-off are designed to be cheap yet high-performance trainer/fighters - basically, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of the 21st century. If you think it looks a little like the F-16, you're right - Lockheed Martin gave design input for the proven flight characteristics the Koreans were looking for.
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The T-50 would make a great addition to the IrAF who not only needs trainers to put pilots into planes, but a lightweight, fast and highly maneuverable fighter that can also act as a tactical bomber.
As for right now, the IrAF mostly operates repurposed civilian designs like the Cessna 208 Caravan turboprop above. The Caravan in IrAF service mostly acts as a manned Reaper drone and is capable of shooting Hellfire missiles, but like the Reaper is mostly useful for spotting enemy locations and movements. The IrAF also uses twin-engine King Air 350s for the surveillance/intelligence role.
Whether or not the IrAF actually gets those F-16s, aircraft alone can't stop ISIS, but even fast-movers not exactly optimized for the same missions like the A-10 is can only help.