Iraq Moves To Buy Air Defense For Oil Fields
Iraq's Defense Ministry says funding is secured for advanced air defense systems to protect oil fields and sensitive areas from missile and drone threats.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iraq has secured the budget needed to purchase an advanced air defense system to protect its oil fields and other sensitive areas from missile and drone attacks, Iraqi Ministry of Defense spokesperson Yahya Rasool told Kurdistan24 on Thursday.
Speaking to Kurdistan24 on Thursday, Rasool said the General Command of the Armed Forces had ordered that the necessary budget be secured for the acquisition, and that several new contracts for radar systems and advanced anti-missile and anti-drone systems would soon be signed, with the equipment to be deployed in sensitive areas.
"In the past period, we received French radar and some other types of radar, but to be honest, at first we did not have full funding," Rasool said. "After an objective assessment of the situation was presented by the Chief of Staff and submitted to the General Command of the Armed Forces, the commander of the General Command of the Armed Forces ordered that efforts be accelerated and that the necessary budget be secured for purchasing the air defense system."
He added that a number of technical committees and detailed follow-up teams have now been formed to develop and strengthen Iraq's air defense capabilities, with several contracts specific to the purchase of air defense systems expected to be signed in the coming days.
On the type of systems Iraq intends to purchase, Rasool said air defense systems and their weaponry differ, noting that no single type of missile covers every need, and that their ranges vary accordingly. He said what remains is deploying these systems across oil fields and other different areas.
Regarding where the systems will be positioned, Rasool said the military leadership is assessing the matter, and that the systems will be deployed according to the varying threat levels facing different areas.
Rasool pointed to the danger posed by missile and drone attacks, citing the Russia-Ukraine war and the Iran-US conflict as examples. "This style of drone and missile attack has now brought about a new generation of warfare, and Iraq is not far from the dangers of war, conflict, and the complications of the region," he said. "Therefore, Iraq must adapt itself to the world's military changes, so that we can set an appropriate plan and benefit from these systems."