the benefits of invading somebody: Iraq makes first payment in deal to buy 18 US F-16s

[xchrom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15083193

Iraq has made the first payment in a deal to buy 18 US F-16 fighter jets worth a total of about $3bn (£1.9bn), the US state department has said.

The planes, which are not expected to be delivered until next year, are to protect the country's air space.

There are currently some 44,000 US troops in Iraq, which are due to leave by the end of this year.

US and Iraqi officials said the purchase of the jets would provide the basis for Iraq's air sovereignty.

[Ready4Change]

1. To be flown by which Iraqis?

Maintained by what ground crew?

Since we're leaving newly built airbases behind that part is taken care of, at least.

[Javaman]

5. exactly, our arms sales are nothing more than another version of an IMF loan...

they are now indebted to use for training, parts and replacements.

and heaven help them if they try to by weapons from the russians.

we end all replacement part shipments, which would effectively stop their military from functioning.

[BOHICA12]

2. Last century's technology .... not too good for civil control ....

look way cool ... fly way fast ... made in Ft. Worth. I guess lemonade out of a whole stinking crate of lemons.

[mod mom]

3. this is what comes to mind in reading this:

http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/

of course the defense contractors are happy. :mad:

[dipsydoodle]

4. followed by the maintenance contracts for them

which will yield even more.

[Javaman]

6. that's were the money and, mostly, control comes in. nt

[marmar]

7. Freedom (for the Military-Industrial Complex) is on the march.

nt

[TBF]

8. Freedom to control, freedom to exploit, freedom to drill baby drill

:patriot:

[CanonRay]

9. What? We're not just leaving them there?

along with all the billions of other equipment we don't want to carry home.

[offmybrain]

10. Many more sales of F-16s

Taiwan wants to buy more
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/20/opinion/main20108642.shtml


Taken from wiki
The fighter aircraft of the USAF are small, fast, and maneuverable military aircraft primarily used for air-to-air combat. Many of these fighters have secondary ground-attack capabilities, and some are dual-roled as fighter-bombers (e.g., the F-16 Fighting Falcon); the term "fighter" is also sometimes used colloquially for dedicated ground-attack aircraft. Other missions include interception of bombers and other fighters, reconnaissance, and patrol. Out of the 5,778 manned aircraft in service, 2,402 are fighters, and 1,245 of those are variants of the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

From 2006 to 2025, the USAF plans to reduce its inventory of tactical aircraft by 28%.<54>

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/MagazineArchive/Pages/2008/October%202008/1008aircraft.aspx
The Air Force’s aircraft have been flying, on average, for 24 years, representing the oldest fleet in the service’s 61-year history. Some aerial refueling tankers, in particular, date back to the 1950s, posing serious operational and maintenance challenges to an Air Force at war. The effect is real: USAF has seen its breakdown rates and its cost per flying hour each increase by about 17 percent since 9/11.

Congress has to sell old jets as they get replaced by newer ones.