WSJ: Iraq Seeks F-16 Fighters
Part of Shopping Spree for New Weapons
By AUGUST COLE and YOCHI J. DREAZEN
September 5, 2008; Page A1
WASHINGTON -- The Iraqi government is seeking to buy 36 advanced F-16 fighters from the U.S., say American military officials familiar with the request, a move that could help reduce its reliance on U.S. air power and potentially allow more American forces to withdraw from the country than had been proposed.
If it clears hurdles in Washington, the multibillion-dollar deal would give the Iraqi government a powerful new weapon to use against the country's Shiite and Sunni insurgents. But the rapid rebuilding of Iraq's military forces with U.S. equipment such as F-16s could also be viewed with concern by other countries in the region, because of the placement of advanced weaponry in the hands of a nascent government of a country still struggling for stability.
The Air Force says it has 300 planes and helicopters in Iraq and Afghanistan, mostly in Iraq, but declined to provide a further breakdown, making it difficult to assess the impact of the proposed sale on overall air power there. Senior American officials have long argued that Iraq would need the U.S. to keep fighters and attack helicopters deployed throughout the country indefinitely, even as American ground troops start to withdraw.
Iraq now appears determined to significantly expand the air power of its military, which has become more competent and confident in recent months but depends heavily on the U.S. for air support. Iraq quickly has become one of the biggest weapons buyers in the world as it seeks to strengthen and professionalize its fighting force.
The F-16, made by Lockheed Martin Corp., is the most sophisticated weapons system Iraq has attempted to purchase so far. The Pentagon recently notified Congress that it had approved the sale of 24 American attack helicopters to Iraq, valued at as much as $2.4 billion. Including the helicopters, Iraq has announced plans this year to purchase at least $10 billion in U.S. tanks and armored vehicles, transport planes and other battlefield equipment and services, benefiting companies such as General Dynamics Corp., Boeing Co. and Raytheon Co.
Last year, the U.S. had world-wide foreign military sales of $23.3 billion, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The weapons deals, which will use Iraqi funds, come as Baghdad and Washington work to finalize a new long-term security pact that calls for American military forces to leave Iraq's cities by next summer as a prelude to a broader withdrawal from the country.
U.S. officials initially said the pact's withdrawal provision only applied to American combat troops, but Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently told reporters that he wants all American forces -- not just ground combat ones -- out of his country by 2011.
"The [F-16] request itself represents yet another reflection of Maliki's growing confidence in his government and the Iraqi security forces," said Kenneth Katzman, an Iraq specialist at the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. "It reflects his continued efforts to gain more independence from the United States on military and security issues."
There are potential pitfalls both for Iraq and U.S. officials in the move. A steady cadre of well-trained Iraqi pilots will need time to learn the planes' tactics and weapons, and ground crews will have to maintain them to high standards to avoid performance or safety problems. The U.S. currently uses a wide variety of planes for air support in Iraq, so it's unclear how big a role Iraqi F-16s could play.
The U.S. has previously seen weapons meant for fragile allies end up in unfriendly hands, as with Iran in 1979. The U.S. will have to consider how advanced F-16s and their weapons, such as satellite-guided bombs, should be.
The F-16 purchase must be reviewed by the Pentagon, Congress and the State Department. The F-16s would allow the Iraqis to carry out their own airstrikes on insurgent positions, something they currently need the U.S. to do for them. That shortcoming was a serious problem during the initial days of the Iraqi army's Basra assault in March, which didn't break in the Iraqis' favor until British and American warplanes bombed the positions of the Mahdi Army, Iraq's largest Shiite militia, throughout the city.
Air power is becomingly increasingly important in Iraq, where the amount of ordnance dropped by U.S. planes has jumped in recent months as U.S. and Iraqi forces press to eradicate the remnants of al-Qaeda in Iraq and other militant groups. Though the F-16 is a fighter designed to shoot down enemy aircraft, it can carry precision-guided bombs and missiles that can be used to support ground forces. The plane also is armed with a cannon that can be used for close air-support missions.
A Defense Department spokeswoman said that the Iraqi government made a request for pricing and availability information on the fighters on Aug. 27 and that it was being reviewed by U.S. officials.
"The request is being reviewed in the normal course of business in the foreign military sales process," the spokeswoman said. The requests don't guarantee a sale as sometimes governments seek the information for planning purposes, she said. A Lockheed Martin spokesman referred questions to the U.S. government.
The deal may not face heavy domestic opposition because of its potential to speed the withdrawal of U.S. forces; other proposed military purchases by Iraq have not met much resistance. Still, the F-16 sale won't be "something that will happen overnight," says a senior U.S. official in Baghdad, adding, "A lot of work would have to be done before that could happen." Weapons deals normally take up to a year to be processed.
The F-16 would represent a significant upgrade for the Iraqi military, and -- depending on how the planes were outfitted with radar and other electronic systems -- could give it some of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the region. The planes can be equipped advanced missiles and bombs, and would give Iraq a more potent air force than it had under Saddam Hussein, when the Iraqi air force mainly consisted of Russian and French fighters.
With a fleet of U.S.-made fighters, Iraq would be able to better match up against neighbors like Iran, which relies on Russian and Iranian-made fighters and aging American jets. U.S. analysts cautioned, however, that Iraq would still have one of the weaker air forces in the region.
"They have a long ways to go before being even close to the Gulf states and Iran in air power," said Michael O'Hanlon, an Iraq expert at the Brookings Institution. Iraq's U.S.-allied neighbors Israel and Saudi Arabia each fly hundreds of modern military aircraft.
An Israeli official in Washington said that he wasn't sure whether Israel had been consulted about the potential sale or had any advance knowledge of the Iraqi request.
During previous Iraqi requests for weapons purchases, the Pentagon has said in its Congressional notification statements that the equipment and support "will not affect the basic military balance in the region."
The F-16 is one of the most widely exported fighters in the world. More than 4,400 have been built and are in service with 25 countries. The Israeli air force also operates F-16s, as do Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, UAE, Oman and Bahrain.
The F-16's ubiquity may help it avoid opposition on technological grounds. In contrast, the latest U.S. fighter, the F-22 Raptor, has a special law prohibiting its export. Some U.S. fighter-jet sales have been ensnared in broader diplomatic tussles, however, such as F-16s for Pakistan that were hampered by the country's nuclear ambitions.
The U.S. recently announced F-16 sales to Morocco and Romania. Those sales, each for roughly $100 million per plane with training, related equipment and support included, offer an indication of how lucrative the Iraq deal could be for Lockheed Martin and its suppliers, which include Raytheon, Boeing and engine makers such as General Electric Co. and United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt & Whitney.
Morocco's purchase of 24 F-16 jets is worth as much as $2.4 billion. The Romanian deal, for 48 new and upgraded planes, is worth as much as $4.5 billion.
Over the summer, the Defense Department announced that the Iraqi government wanted to order more than 400 armored vehicles and other equipment worth up to $3 billion, and six C-130J transport planes, worth up to $1.5 billion. The C-130s are also made by Lockheed.
Such sales come at a time when the defense industry is looking increasingly at foreign governments to offset an expected plateau or decline in the growth rate of Pentagon spending on weapons systems. Middle Eastern buyers, flush with oil revenue, are a big market for everything from U.S. transport planes to armored vehicles. Foreign countries also tend to buy years worth of services, training and support, making deals more lucrative to the manufacturers.
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06-09-2008, 11:52
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