Iraqi Air Force
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
History
Founded on April 22 1931, the Iraqi Air Force or "IQAF" was originally comprised of five pilots (Aeronautics students who had studied at Cranol College in Britain), and 32 Aircraft Mechanics. The original five pilots were;
- Natiq Mohammed Khalil al-Tay
- Mohammed Ali Jawad
- Hafdhi Aziz
- Akrem Talib Mushtaq
- Musa Ali
Based out of al-Washash Airport, the Air Force was not used in a combat role until 1941 in their war against British occupation, and then in 1948 in their war against the newly-created State of Israel.
Six-Day War
During the Six-Day War in June of 1967, the Iraqi Air Force bombed several airbases and land targets on the fifth day, and played a significant role in supporting Jordanian troops, bombing Kafr Sukreen airport and destroying seven landed fighter planes. On June 6, Iraqi pilots destroyed a further two Israeli planes in air fighting.
Yom Kippur War
During the Yom Kippur War in October of 1973, Iraqi pilots ran the first airstrike against Israeli bases in Sinai, hitting artillery sites and Israeli tanks, and also destroyed 12 Israeli fighters in air combat.
