In order to fight against the ISIS insurgency, in 2008 the government of Iraq sought to purchase 36 F-16s for its air force to replace its Russian and Chinese fighters that were acquired after the Iran-Iraq War by Saddam Hussein's regime. In the spring of 2009, an initial order of 28 was placed, and a supplementary order for 18 more being placed later. The first set was delivered, with all 36 currently on order to be delivered by 2018.
The first F-16IQ Block 52 fighter was delivered to Iraw on Jun 5, 2014. Due to advances made by the Islamic State militants, Iraqi F-16s were sent to Tucson, Arizona for initial training of Iraqi pilots. 4 F-16IQ aircraft were delivered to Balad Air Base on July 13, 2015.
Serials of Iraqi F-16s:
12-0004/0015 Lockheed Martin F-16C-52 Fighting Falcon MSN RA-01/RA-12. FMS for Iraqi AF as 1607/1618 12-0016/0021 Lockheed Martin F-16D-52 Fighting Falcon MSN RB-1/RB-6. FMS to Iraqi AF as 1601/1606
Sources:
- General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon operators, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-16_Fighting_Falcon_operators
