Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighters fly above a military ground near the town of Osipovichi, some 100 km (62 miles) southeast of Minsk, September 25, 2013. (Vasily Fedosenko / Reuters)
Russian Aircraft Can’t Save Iraq -- Michael Peck, War Is Boring
Baghdad needs tough troops, not tough aircraft.
Like many nations whose armies disintegrated, the Iraqi government is looking to the sky for salvation.
As Sunni militants continue their mostly unopposed blitz across northern Iraq, Moscow has sold Baghdad a dozen Su-25 Frogfoot close air support aircraft—in essence, Russia’s equivalent to America’s A-10 Warthog—as well as trainers to teach Iraqis how to fly the straight-wing jets.
Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has blamed his army’s rout on Washington’s refusal to speed delivery of new F-16s, currently slated for handover this fall. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants “could have been repelled if Iraq had proper air defense,” Maliki said, according to Russian media.
“I’ll be frank and say that we were deluded when we signed the contract [with the U.S.],” Maliki complained to Russia’s RT News. “We should have sought to buy other jet fighters—like British, French and Russian—to secure the air cover for our forces.”
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My Comment: Michael Peck nails it in this post.
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