Iraq agrees to buy 24 Czech combat and training aircraft October 12, 2012 - 15:26 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Iraq has agreed to purchase 24 combat and training aircraft from the Czech Republic for about $1 billion as part of its program to rebuild its air force, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's media advisor said on Friday, Oct 12, according to Reuters. Iraq will buy Czech L159 jets with the first planes arriving over the next seven months, Ali al-Moussawi said. Iraq has no real air force since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein and Baghdad says it will not be able to defend its airspace until 2020. Iraq is also purchasing U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets. Partner news  Top stories The deal is estimated at $700mln-$1bln, Vedomosti newspaper reported citing sources in the Russian defense industry. Ahmadinejad will be replaced by Hassan Rowhani as president on August 3 following presidential elections last week. Petr Necas' decision will end his three-party coalition government, which was created after the 2010 parliamentary election. "Are these the people you want to support? Are they the ones you want to supply with weapons?” the Russian President said.   Partner news |  Latest news Ryan Gosling crime drama “Only God Forgives” wins Sydney Film Prize  The violent film, which also stars Kristin Scott Thomas, has divided critics since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival last month.David Thewlis joins Edgar Allen Poe story-based “Eliza Graves” The thriller follows a young doctor who comes to apprentice at a mental institution and meets a beautiful patient that he falls in love with.Lionsgate nabs screen rights to “Devil In The Grove” Pulitzer winner Adam Cooper & Bill Collage, whose Moses script Exodus will be the next film that Ridley Scott will direct, will write the script.IMF calls for “ambitious” economic policy reforms in Russia The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for Russia’s GDP growth in 2014 to 3.25 percent from 3.8 percent. |
