U.S. Delays Delivery Of U.S. F-16s To Iraq Due To The Islamic State. Iraqi Pilots Will Be Trained In Arizona

The first Iraqi F-16s were due to be delivered to Balad Airbase earlier in 2014, but the current security sitation in Iraq means they may now remain in the US until 2016. Source: Lockheed Martin

U.S. Delays Delivery Of F-16 Fighter Planes To Iraq -- Wall Street Journal

Fighting With Islamic State Poses Security Risk

WASHINGTON—The U.S. will delay delivery of F-16 fighter planes to Iraq for security reasons and will instead send them to Arizona, where Iraqi pilots are participating in a U.S.-run training program, the Defense Department said.

Originally, the planes were to be delivered to Balad air base north of Baghdad—the first F-16s to go to Iraqi Air Force pilots. But repeated attacks by the extremist group Islamic State in northeastern Iraq forced the Pentagon to reconsider the plan.

U.S. officials wouldn’t say on Monday when they plan to transfer the planes to the Iraqi government.

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