Iraqi Air Force
| Iraqi Air Force القوة الجوية العراقية |
|
|---|---|
Air Force roundel
|
|
| Founded | April 22, 1931 |
| Country |
 Iraq
|
| Branch | Air force |
| Size | Approximately 5,000 |
| Anniversaries | April 22 (Air Force Day) |
| Equipment | 260 aircraft |
| Engagements |
Anglo-Iraqi War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
General Hamid al-Maliki |
| Insignia | |
| Fin flash |  |
| Air Force Ensign |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | Su-25, L-159 |
| Fighter | F-16IQ |
| Reconnaissance | CH 2000, Ce 208 ISR, KA 350 ISR |
| Trainer | Ce172, Ce 208, T-6A, Bell 206B, OH-58C, Utva Lasta 95 |
| Transport | C-130E, C-130J, An-32B, KA 350ER, Mi-17, UH-1H |
Anglo-Iraqi War
Six-Day War
Yom Kippur War
Iran–Iraq War
Invasion of Kuwait
Persian Gulf War
1991 uprisings in Iraq
Iraqi no-fly zones
Iraq War
Iraqi insurgency (2011–present)
The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF or IAF; Arabic: القوة الجوية العراقية, Al Quwwa al Jawwiya al Iraqiya) is the aerial warfare service branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces, responsible for the policing of international borders and surveillance of national assets. The IQAF also acts as a support force for the Iraqi Navy and the Iraqi Army and it allows Iraq to rapidly deploy its developing Army.
The Iraqi Air Force was founded in 1931, during British control of Iraq after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in WW1, with only a few pilots. Aside from a brief period during the Second World War, the Iraqi Air Force operated mostly British aircraft until the 14 July Revolution in 1958, when the new Iraqi government began increased diplomatic relationships with the Soviet Union. The air force used both Soviet and British aircraft throughout the 1950s and 1960s. When Saddam Hussein came to power in 1979, the air force grew very quickly when Iraq ordered more Soviet and French aircraft. Its peak came after the long and bloody Iran–Iraq War, which ended in 1988, when it consisted of 1024 aircraft, becoming the largest air force in the region. Its downfall came during the Gulf War (1990–91) and continued while coalition forces enforced no-fly zones. The remains of Iraq's air force were destroyed during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After the invasion, the IQAF was rebuilt, receiving most of its training and aircraft from the United States.
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