July 16, 2008:The United States has given the Iraqi Air Force eleven training aircraft (eight Cessna 172s and three Cessna Caravan 208). The donated aircraft are worth nearly $10 million.

The Cessna C172 is a single engine aircraft that costs about $600,000, and can also be usedfor reconnaissance. C-172s are cheaper than UAVs. Many air forces use a militarized version, as the T-41 basic flight trainer. The C-172 is a 1.1 ton aircraft with a max speed of 228 kilometers an hour, and can stay in the air for about six hours per sortie. The aircraft is easy to fly, and can be equipped with all manner of night and day video cameras. The Iraqis have lots of unemployed pilots, who are happy to have anything to fly. But the existing pilots are getting on in years, and the Iraqis have established a military flight school up north, where the 172s are used for basic flight training.

The Cessna Caravan 208 is a larger, single engine, aircraft that can carry nine passengers or a ton of cargo. It can be rigged to carry Hellfire missiles, or electronic warfare gear (for picking up transmissions from the ground, or jamming.) TheCaravan 208 costs several million dollars, and is also used to train pilots to handle larger aircraft.

Over the next 18 months, Iraq plans to expand its air force to over 130 aircraft and 6,000 personnel.