Iraqi Air Power Reborn: The Iraqi Air Arms Since 2004

Superb read, great price, fast delivery

This is a pleasing must-read for anyone with an expert interest in either the Iraqi air forces or the ongoing post-2003 conflict in Iraq. The book provides substantive sections on the aircraft types in service with the Iraqi Air Force and the Iraqi Army Aviation but it goes further by also providing a useful section on the operational uses of air power since 2013 (i.e., in the "current" conflict against the self-styled Islamic State).The book has many details that will add to the knowledge of people who already follow the issue closely, whilst newcomers will get up to speed on the subject in great depth in one quick read. There is some interesting aviation history here, including obscure conflict history like the use of the air arm in the 1962-1975 Kurdish rebellions and little curios such as an account of Iraq's only attempt to "come up" to fight the 2003 coalition armada. True to the book's focus, however, the spotlight is firmly on post-2003 developments, so you can be reassured this is not just a rehash of historical info with a little bit of current data -- quite the opposite.There's a lot of good data points in here that you won't see elsewhere such a details of the rapid stand-up of the Su-25 fleet with the aid of Iranian and Syrian pilots: Iraq's early armed UAV sorties; ferry flights to get Czech aircraft to Iraq; Iranian close air support to Iraq since 2014; plus commentary on some of more obscure, unsuccessful types of aircraft briefly used by Iraq since 2003, for instance the CompAir 75LX kit plane or Pilatus U-28As. The author vividly captures the early scramble to get any air-frames active.In some places the aircraft type sections could be better matched up with the "IQAF and IAA at war" section. There's a few spots where attrition in "at war" is not reflected into the aircraft type sections, which editors should have caught. The good thing is that Arnaud Delalande has already fixed this in his webpage, so check out [...] for errata.This is well worth a read, and I look forward to updated editions as a lot is changing each year.Mike Knights

No color profile. A lot of the photos had been seen before. Not impressed with the layout. Disappointed.

Great book

Arnaud Delalande has pulled together lots of material to write possibly the first book on the post 2003 Iraqi Air Force here. The book covers the types of aircraft used as well as the operations and is an interesting source for aviation enthusiasts and people interested in the Middle Eastern warfare more generally.The book starts with a brief historical introduction of the Iraqi Air Force all the way to (and including) the 2003 invasion. Following come the Iraqi Air Force and Army aircraft types, with mostly some pictures, the numbers purchased / used (often with individual pennants) and a bit of background comment on the purchase process and use. One thing those two chapters do not contain are technical data of the types - for that you need to consult other sources (luckily no types are completely unique to Iraq).These chapters are followed by one on the overall combat history of the IqAF post 2003 and there is quite a lot to be reported there. Any air force that loses around 50 aircraft / helicopters over a period of 10 years in combat (most since 2010) is definitely 'fully engaged'.The book then finishes with a loss statistic, unit insignia and other material of interest to the aviation enthusiast.Overall it is definitely worthwhile, as it pulls together much of the avialable material on this 'reborn' air force and tells the reader a story from the training regimen, via the types operated to their actual combat use. So if your interest is in warfare in the Middle East or in military aviation generally, the book is to be recommended.