Units 950-951-952-953 F-16C available since 1 of 2005
Units 963 AH-1 Cobra/TOW available since 1 of 2005
This is what indeed they are likely going to get, especially the F-16s.
However timeframe is going to be 3/4 years from now at least, while in the game these units are available since
2005. For the present time they have been operating MI-17 with rocket pods for few months and some armed turboprops
are supposed to be delivered later in this year. Until then no fixed wing attack aircrafts will have been in service since the fall of Saddam
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/...ircraft-03281/
http://www.special-operations-techno...cfm?DocID=2137
http://www.stratfor.com/memberships/109032
http://www.longwarjournal.org/oob/index.php
Unit 13 Type 69-QM (125mm) end date 4/2003
Unit 22 T-55QM (105mm) end date 12/2005
Unit 23 T-55QM2 (125mm) end date 4/2003
Unit 657 T-55QM (105mm) end date 12/2005
I recommend the final availability date of unit 22 to be restricted to 4 of 103, unit 657 to be deleted, and
units 13-22-23 to be given the X3 radio code.
These upgrades programs were one of the various military projects the iraqis had going back in the 80's.
As usual hard info is limited.
The only source for the 105mm upgrade is the
"T-55QM Iraq (had NATO-standard 105mm/L68 gun installed replacing the old 100mm gun,along with a French laser rangefinder)" tidbit which repeated by various sources on the web.
Of the 125mm upgrade I have a picture of what appears to be a Type 69 fitted with a 125mm gun taken at the Baghdad expo of 1989.
According to what I have been told the 125mm upgrade was problematic as supposedly it required a
purpose built autoloader, it retained the 100mm recoil brakes and various others issues.
It is very unlikely that it was put in production and it was never spotted afterwards.
The 105mm on the other hand posed no particular technical challenges. However logistically it was incompatible with the other army tanks.
I cannot rule out that a small series was made but again it was never spotted or referenced to as being produced or fielded.