ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and Iraq has signed a land mark defense agreement in Baghdad for defense cooperation under which Pakistan would provide twelve MFI- Mushaq trainer aircraft and twelve JF- Thunder Block III fighter jets to Iraqi Air Force.
Credible sources in PAF told The Nation that agreement for 1.8 billion USD deal reached during talks between visiting Pakistan Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshall Zaheer Ahmed Babar and his counterpart in Iraqi Ministry of defense.
Iraqi side in the talks were represented by secretary General defense Iraqi defense Ministry Lt Gen Ahmed Dawood and Lt Gen Shahab Jahid Ali of Iraqi defense Ministry.
This would be the second supply of Mushaq Trainer aircrafts to Iraq by PAF. Pakistan provided 12 Mushaq aircrafts to Iraq in 2023 and after successfully induction into Iraqi forces, Iraqi defense ministry desired more aircrafts from PAF.
After providing 12 more Mushaq trainer aircrafts to Iraq, Pakistan would provide twelve JF-Thunder Block III fighter jets to Iraqi for which technical details are being worked out.
Iraq would be the 4th country to get JF- Thunder aircrafts. Pakistan Air force has earlier provided these aircrafts to Nigeria and Myanmar. The agreement to purchase these aircrafts by Azerbaijan from PAF has already finalised.
During talks at Iraqi defense ministry Air chief Marshall zaheer Ahmed Babar took Iraqi defense officials into confidence on the technical details of JF thunder aircrafts and their performance. Iraqi defense official are expected to visit Pakistan in near future and personally inspect the manufacturing of these aircrafts at PAC Kamra.
