ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United States State Department approved a proposed $65.3 million sale of Cessna AC-208 aircraft to the Iraqi Air Force to help it in its ongoing fight against Islamic State (ISIS) militants. The approval came after the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the potential deal and provided it with the necessary certification. “This proposed sale directly supports Iraq and serves the interests of the people of Iraq and the United States,” DSCA claimed in a press release on Friday. “The proposed sale of this equipment and support does not alter the basic military balance in the region,” the statement added. The Iraqi Government has sought to buy the two Cessna aircraft, which are equipped with two dual rail LAU-131 Hellfire missile launchers under its wings and electronic countermeasures. Baghdad previously bought three of these aircraft back in 2008, along with Hellfire air-to-ground missiles; the same kind used by US Apache helicopter gunships and unmanned Predator drones. Iraq has started taking delivery of F-16 Fighting Falcon jet fighter bombers from the US in the last year. Baghdad has ordered 36 of these jets as part of a $2 billion deal. Iraq has also purchased several advanced helicopter gunships and Su-25 attack planes from Russia in recent years, which have also been used as part of its ongoing war with ISIS militants.
