US sells M1A1s to Iraq

[jlvfr]

So...

http://www.janes.com/news/defence/id...0319_1_n.shtml

Even 2nd hand, with these upgrades, Iraq can now pretty much crush any Iran/Syria "bad ideas"... assuming the crews get properly trained...

My thought, whoever, was this: US leaves Iraq, Iraq falls in the hands of extremists... then what?

[Stitch]

Well, it's about time!

I don't think Iraq will ever go over to the extremists; the US, or some other "Western" power, will always have a "presence" in Iraq. I think Iraq will become a lot like South Korea where we have some forward-deployed combat divisions, and airpower fairly close at-hand (Riyadh? Incirlik?). We would have to get caught completely by surprise for that to happen.

[Dreadnought]

So...

http://www.janes.com/news/defence/id...0319_1_n.shtml

Even 2nd hand, with these upgrades, Iraq can now pretty much crush any Iran/Syria "bad ideas"... assuming the crews get properly trained...

My thought, whoever, was this: US leaves Iraq, Iraq falls in the hands of extremists... then what?

*Not the very same mcoy.;)

*Zippo in the American FCR aspect which is one of the major aspects that makes her so awesome on the battlefield.

[Skywatcher]

I thought that the Iraqis were buying T-72s?

[TopHatter]

I thought that the Iraqis were buying T-72s?

Likely they'll be buying both, in a classic "high-low" mixture that bolsters your overall numbers without breaking your budget.

Tends to make your logistics tail a bit long though.

[gunnut]

The imperial guard will be armed with M1A1s and the draft army will use T72s.

[Stitch]

I thought that the Iraqis were buying T-72s?

Yes, 2,000 re-built T-72's, just like the re-built M-1's the Iraqis will be getting; the "tanks would be bought from Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia, and then stripped to their frames and rebuilt under a contract managed by Defense Solutions of Exton, Pa." Go here for a full DefenseNews article on the deal.

[Dreadnought]

Yes, 2,000 re-built T-72's, just like the re-built M-1's the Iraqis will be getting; the "tanks would be bought from Eastern European countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine and Slovakia, and then stripped to their frames and rebuilt under a contract managed by Defense Solutions of Exton, Pa." Go here for a full DefenseNews article on the deal.

Yep, I know exactly where that is. About 45 min from home.

[Versus]

Hilarious.

[Bluesman]

Not if you're Iranian, it isn't.

[jlvfr]

*Not the very same mcoy.;)

*Zippo in the American FCR aspect which is one of the major aspects that makes her so awesome on the battlefield.

I wasn't thinking so much as in "using them in battle", more "selling their electronics, etc, to other countries"...

[entropy]

Will the Iraqi be able to maintain it without having to maintain close ties to the US?

[entropy]

I wasn't thinking so much as in "using them in battle", more "selling their electronics, etc, to other countries"...

Oh, they will. The Iraqodemocratpeaceandluv construction is a farce. Heard they dislike the Americans in Afghanistan, telling the Russians they were a lot better. Guess the same is true in Iraq.

But if the electronics are sold to other countries, the DoD can demand more money to develop new weapons. :))

[jlvfr]

Will the Iraqi be able to maintain it without having to maintain close ties to the US?

Well... look at it this way... how long were the iranians able to keep the F-14/F-4 flying without US support?...

[entropy]

Well... look at it this way... how long were the iranians able to keep the F-14/F-4 flying without US support?...

Yes, but how regularly and in what state?

No spare parts means you have to rely on cannibalism and reliability of the available parts.

And a tank isn't a fighter. You can still fly the thing in daylight if your FLIR is broken down. Might be a way to save the radar with homegrown stuff.

A tank is blind without the expensive electronics. If the imaging systems of the tank break down, you might as well sell the thing to an amusement park.