Iraq Allots $100M to Buy Turkish Combat Drones: Report

Iraq’s Cabinet has reportedly allocated $100 million for the purchase of Turkish combat drones.

Speaking to TRT Haber on the issue, defense politics analyst Hakan Kılıç said if this deal happens, it would be a very different move than selling unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) to Africa or European countries, as it would not be an ordinary defense deal.

In August, Iraqi media reported that Defense Minister Juma Anad Saadoun said the country had “reached a consensus” with Turkey concerning the purchase of Bayraktar TB2 drones, and revealed plans to buy a dozen T129 ATAK helicopters besides Koral EW systems.

Azerbaijan, a country that shares good relations with Turkey, was the latter’s first neighbor to buy the drones. “However, the sale to a neighbor, in this case to Iraq, requires a certain level of trust in the country that it will not use Turkish-made UCAVs against Turkey itself," Kılıç said.

“If this happens, it will be a means of our trust and will show that the bilateral relations have reached a certain point that we are sure they will not use our products against us,” he said.