Airbus delivers first pair of Caracal combat helicopters to Iraq
The Iraqi Minister of Defense, Thabet Al-Abbasi, received the first two helicopters at the airframer's headquarters in Marignane in southern France on April 30, according to Flight Global, a global aviation community's primary source of news.
The 11t-class H225Ms, which will be flown by the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, will take the place of the older Mil Mi-17s and be employed for a variety of tasks such as fire support, attack, tactical troop transport, special operations, and counter-terrorism.
Unknown numbers of the Iraqi Caracals will be modified with the HForce modular weapons system from Airbus Helicopters.
The step followed Al-Abbasi's meeting on Tuesday with the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sebastien Lecornu, in the Ministry of Armed Forces in the French capital, Paris, where they discussed different issues, including armament deals between the two countries.
In addition to the helicopters' deal, Al-Abbasi and Lecornu discussed deals between Iraq and France to equip the Iraqi Air Defense Command with air defense radars.
Iraq and the major European aviation company Airbus reached a deal in early September to buy 14 military helicopters, including 12 Caracal H225M multi-role combat helicopters.
A ceremony attended by the Iraqi Minister of Defense, officials from Airbus, and the French Ambassador to Iraq, Patrick Durel, was held in Baghdad to sign the deal, according to AFP.
During a meeting held in May with Eric Chevalier, the former French ambassador to Iraq, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani stated that Iraq is open to productive collaborations with French businesses, especially when it comes to enhancing the defensive capabilities of the armed forces.
Al-Sudani met with officials from Thales Group, Dassault Group, and Airbus in Paris in January 2023 to discuss the potential delivery of military helicopters, radars, and Rafale aircraft to Baghdad.
Additionally, Rafale fighter jets participated in joint exercises between the French and Iraqi air forces in Iraq in May.
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