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| Iraq |
| Iraqi army builds first tank division |
| 2010-12-27 |
| The new Iraqi army has started building up its armored forces with the first batch of 140 U.S.-built M1A1 Abrams main battle tank. The 9th Armored Division, based near Baghdad, will be the spearhead of an army that will likely have a strength of more than 300,000 troops in up to 20 divisions, six of them armored. Its mission is first to crush insurgent forces and restore order and stability in the oil-rich country then to protect its borders against outside aggression. But then again, if Iran decides to be stupid, the Iraqis will kick seven bells out of them. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #8 Well, with "inshallah" based maintenance, it won't take long for the platforms to turn into large paperweights. The other big question will be: to whom can they Iraqis easily sell parts stripped from these babies? I doubt they will sell entire tanks - but they will certainly deal in repair parts - and will think nothing of turning their fleet into "hanger queens" in the process. The only people worth a hoot in that country are the Kurds - and they won't be seeing any of the good stuff. |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2010-12-27 21:02 |
| #7 How long before some of these tanks start to "go missing" and turning up in Iran? |
| Posted by: crosspatch 2010-12-27 17:09 |
| #6 This is actually a very good thing, gromky. 140 brand new M1A1s are better than anything Iraq's neighbor's have with the exception of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. 140 M1s aren't going to be a major threat to them, but to Iran they are a powerful deterrent. Not enough to stage an invasion (especially without fuel tanker support), but more than enough to smash an armored invasion by Iran. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2010-12-27 15:48 |
| #5 If they are going to be a threat to Iran, then Iraq will need some air power, something more than helicopters. |
| Posted by: lord garth 2010-12-27 15:32 |
| #4 There is a awful lot of wheeling and dealing going on behind the scenes, oddly enough trying to get the Iraqis the best deals. I gather the Czechs are providing a lot of rebuilds and upgrades, and some of the other east European countries have a lot of surplus going their way. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-12-27 13:47 |
| #3 Defense contractors have to sell something to Iraq, so why not use our most modern, and therefore expensive, equipment? Those bonuses don't make themselves, you know! |
| Posted by: gromky 2010-12-27 12:39 |
| #2 New built, M1A1 version, modified for desert conditions. Thermal imaging, etc. but no special (DU) armor or blue-sat-tracking system. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2010-12-27 12:11 |
| #1 One presumes these tanks were ones we left there as not being worth hauling home and extensively refurbishing. Would hate to think we shipped them new stuff while returning the beat-up stuff to our guys. In Iraq, some nasty battle scars on the tank moving in on you could actually add to the demoralizing effect. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-12-27 10:23 |