Officially established on 22 April 1931, around a core of 5 pilots
and 32 aircraft mechanics, the Royal Iraqi Air Force was the first
military flying service in any Arab country. Coming into being with
the task of supporting the Iraqi armed forces and the British
against revolts by local tribes, it saw extensive combat and
gradually grew into a potent force. During the Anglo-Iraqi War of
1941, it became involved in its first conventional campaign in
support of an anti-British coup but was destroyed as a fighting
force. It was still recovering when deployed in combat again, this
time against Israel in the course of the Palestine War of
1948-1949. During the 1950s, the Royal Iraqi Force experienced a
phase of unprecedented growth: after acquiring several batches of
Hawker Fury piston-engined fighter-bombers, Bristol Freighter
transports and its first helicopters, it entered the jet-age
through the acquisition of de Havilland Vampires and Venoms, and
Hawker Hunters in quick succession. The 14 Tammuz Revolution of
1958 toppled the British-imposed monarchy and cut the ties to
London. For the next five years, the Iraqi Air Force (IrAF)
maintained close links to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
and became the first Arab air force to operate types like the
MiG-19 and MiG-21, and also the first equipped with Tupolev Tu-16
medium jet bombers. Through the 1960s, the IrAF played a dominant
role in Iraq's inner politics, determining the fate of the nation
to an unprecedented degree. It not only became involved in combat
against Kurdish insurgents in the north of the country: its
officers staged multiple coups d'etat in 1963, 1965 and 1966,
served as Ministers of Defence and Prime Ministers of the Iraqi
government, became involved in the June 1967 War with Israel, and
were instrumental in the putsch of 1968 that brought the Ba'ath
Party to power. Although subjected to the tight control of the
Ba'ath and the Army, the IrAF continued growing through the 1970s
and reached its zenith during the Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988, when
it flew some of the most advanced combat aircraft available
world-wide, became the air force with most combat- and flying
experience on the MiG-25 and the first true multi-role combat
aircraft ever - the Mirage F.1 - and played the crucial role in
forcing Tehran to accept a cease-fire. In 1990, the IrAF took part
in the invasion of Kuwait. Decimated during the 1991 Gulf War
against the US-led coalition, it became involved in the suppression
of the uprisings in northern and southern Iraq, and subsequently
continued fighting a decade-long no-fly zone maintained by the USA
and Great Britain. Although virtually 'born in battle', collecting
precious combat experience and playing an important role in so many
internal and external conflicts, the Iraqi Air Force remains one of
the least known and most misinterpreted military services in the
Middle East. Richly illustrated, 'Wings over Iraq' provides a
uniquely compact yet comprehensive guide to its operational
history, its crucial officers and aircraft, and its major
operations.
General
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