Zitat:IRAQ BEGINS C-130 AIRCRAFT TRAINING


BAGHDAD [MENL] -- The Iraq Air Force has begun training on its new fleet of U.S.-origin C-130 air transports.

So far, a five-man crew from Squadron 23 of the Iraqi Air Force has been trained to fly and operate the C-130 cargo plane. For the first time, the Iraqi crew flew the C-130 outside of Iraqi air space.

The United States has helped form and train Iraq's new air force, which contains aircraft from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. The Iraqi air force has been hampered by a 12-year lapse in air operations amid the no-fly zones established by Britain and the United States during the Saddam Hussein regime.

U.S. officials said the first Iraqi flight of the C-130 was from Talil to Amman, a five-hour journey. A crew of U.S. Air Force pilots trained the Iraqi pilots and crew members in operating the aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin.

Zitat:Patriot postete
Werden Sowjetische/Russische Waffensysteme also weiterhin den Kern der Irakischen Armee bilden ?

Zitat:Rollen Schweizer Panzer in den Irak?

LONDON – Die weltweit wichtigste Fachzeitschrift, für Rüstung, "Jane's Defence Weekly" behauptet: Die Schweiz verkauft indirekt "M113" Schützenpanzer in den Irak. Das jedoch verbietet das Gesetz. Die Schweiz darf laut Gesetz keine Waffen in ein Kriegs- oder Spannungs-gebiet liefern. Das sei nun aber doch der Fall, behauptet die britische Zeitschrift.

Die Schweiz plant, den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten insgesamt 180 Schützenpanzer des Typs «M113» zu verkaufen. Die VAE haben sich verpflichtet, die Panzer selber zu gebrauchen und nicht weiter zu liefern. "Jane’s Defence Weekly" weiss jedoch anderes: Die "M113" werden weiter in den Irak geliefert. Das renommierte Fachmagazin beruft sich dabei in einem Beitrag von "10vor10", der Nachrichten-sendung des Schweizer Fernsehens SFDRS auf zwei nicht genannte Quellen.

Das Staatssekretariat für Wirtschaft (Seco) glaubt nicht daran, dass die Panzer im Irak landen. Doch man werde das Geschäft noch einmal genau untersuchen. Die ersten 40 Schützenpanzer stehen abreisefertig in Thun bereit.
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Zitat:IRAQ AIR FORCE FORMS 3 SQUADRONS

WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The Iraq Air Force has rapidly expanded over the last year.

The air force has formed three operational squadrons, with another squadron being prepared. The service has purchased reconnaissance aircraft, helicopters and air transport.

The Multinational Force, Iraq has reported on the development of the air force. In a fact sheet released on April 11, the U.S.-led coalition said the air force has three operational squadrons, with an additional squadron formed in February.

"They have nine reconnaissance aircraft, a helicopter squadron, and three C-130 transport aircraft," the fact sheet said.

Zitat:Defense Solutions to rebuild T-72 Tanks and Other Military Vehicles for the Iraqi Army
Defense Solutions announced today that it reached agreement with the Iraq Ministry of Defense to rebuild seventy-seven T-72 main battle tanks and other military vehicles for the Army of Iraq. The T-72 tanks were donated to Iraq by the Government of Hungary. Defense Solutions will refurbish the tanks in Hungary under a US State Department license before NATO takes possession and ships them to Iraq.

The T-72s are the main combat power of a new Iraqi Armor Division being created with the assistance of the US Army. [...]

The T-72s were deactivated by the Hungarian Army at the end of the Cold War and placed in long-term storage. Hungary, which became part of NATO in 1999, donated the tanks to Iraq with NATO approval.

Defense Solutions will refurbish the T-72 tanks to bring them to operational condition, test fire the main gun and other weapons systems, and conduct a cross county road test before releasing the equipment for shipment to Iraq. The contract is expected to take up to six months.

"When fielded, these tanks will help bring stability to Iraq, allow the Iraqi Army to assume more responsibility for its nation"s security and hasten the day when US forces can come home," according to Defense Solutions" CEO Tim Ringgold, himself a retired US Army colonel and former mechanized brigade commander. [...]

Zitat:The Swiss cabinet announced Wednesday that it has approved the sale of 180 tanks to the United Arab Emirates, who will present them to Iraq.

As to criticism from main political parties that the sale damages the principle of neutrality, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) justified the decision by saying that Switzerland, like other countries, had "an interest in ensuring that the situation in Iraq stabilized as soon as possible."

Zitat:Iraqi Army to receive BTR-80 APCs

Poland's Bumar Group has confirmed that it will complete deliveries of some 115 BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to Iraq by January 2006.

The APCs were ordered by the Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MoD) under an approximately USD30 million contract for service with the Iraqi Army.
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Zitat:Switzerland said Aug. 15 that it would freeze a deal to send armored personnel carriers to Iraq until Baghdad guaranteed that the vehicles would not be used in combat operations.