Friday, March 29, 2024

Baghdad

Iraq receives two T-50 jet fighters from South Korea

 Iraq receives two T-50 jet fighters from South Korea

Korean T-50 jet fighters

Korean T-50 jet fighters

Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) – Iraq announced on Tuesday that it received two T-50 jet fighters from South Korea as part of an agreement signed by Baghdad and Seoul in 2013.

In a statement, a copy of which was obtained by Sputnik news agency on Tuesday, spokesman for the Iraqi Defense Ministry Tahseen al-Khafaji said the first two-jet batch arrived at Martyr Mohammed Alaa airbase in Baghdad, revealing that “additional T-50 jet fighters will arrive in batches soon in Baghdad as part of the deal.”

Khafaji noted that “a team of Iraqi pilots received training in South Korea and they are ready now to operate the T-50 jets.”

Last year, Iraq said it will receive 24 T-50 (Golden Eagle) fighter jets from South Korea as part of an agreement signed in 2013.

The order, including training, was valued at $1.1 billion, but the manufacturing Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) said supporting the aircraft over 20 years will take total revenue beyond $2 billion.

Iraqi air forces, assisted by jets from a US-led international coalition, have been actively bombarding Islamic State militants’ locations in several Iraqi provinces as part of a major operation that seeks to completely eliminate the group after Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced in December the full liberation of Iraqi lands.

Leave a Reply