U.S. delays delivery of eight F-16 fighter planes to IraqNovember 12, 2014 - 11:43 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Citing the escalating threat of the Islamic State (IS, also known as ISIS), the U.S. announced it would delay delivery of eight F-16 fighter planes to Iraq, instead re-routing them to Arizona, where Iraqi pilots are participating in a U.S.-run training program, the Defense Department said, according to Fox News. The Iraqis purchased the F-16 fighters -- the first of its kind to be used by Iraqi Air Force pilots -- and they were headed for Balad Air Base north of Baghdad. But repeated attacks by ISIS forced the Pentagon to go with Plan B, the Defense Department said. “The initial group of F-16s is now going to be delivered to Tucson, Arizona, where there are Iraqi pilots currently in a training pipeline,” Col. Steven Warren said. Warren said three of the eight planes will be delivered in December and then one per month through May for a total of eight F-16s. “We expect the Iraqi pilots will begin flying their own aircraft for continuation training beginning in January,” he said. “All maintenance will be provided by a contract, logistics support.” The Iraqi pilots have been training in the United States for several months using U.S. training aircraft, Warren said. ISIS fighters have captured large swaths of Iraq in the past few months. Though Balad Air Base is still controlled by the Iraqi government, terrorist attacks have made the base unsafe for American contractors. U.S. contractors are hired to maintain the planes on the base. The runways at Balad are littered with debris and too damaged for regular use by fighter planes, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. Last week, President Obama authorized the deployment of up to 1,500 more American troops to bolster Iraqi forces. The plan could boost the total number of American troops in Iraq to 3,100. Currently, there are about 1,400 U.S. troops there, out of the 1,600 previously authorized. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |