Cooper, Tom/Sipos, Milos Wings of Iraq. Volume 2: The Iraqi Air Force, 1970-1980

Officially established on 22 April 1931, around a core of 5 pilots and 32 aircraft mechanics, the Royal Iraqi Air Force was the first military flying service in any Arab country.
"Wings of Iraq", Volume 2 tells the story of the Iraqi Air Force between 1970 and 1980. In doing so it examines the air forces involvement in the October 1973 Arab-Israeli War, and then the showdown with the Iranian-supported Kurdish insurgency in northern Iraq in 1974-1975. These two affairs taught the Iraqis that numbers alone did not make an air force. Correspondingly, during the second half of the 1970s, Baghdad embarked on a project based on full technology transfer from France, which was intended to result in preparing the IrAF for the twenty-first century.
This process hardly began when the new ruler in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein at-Tikriti, led his country into an invasion of neighbouring Iran, embroiling it in a ruinous, eight-year-long war. This volume details the events leading up to the beginning of that war and its opening moves in the air.
Although virtually "born in battle", collecting precious combat experience and playing an important role in so many internal and external conflicts, the Iraqi Air Force remains one of the least known and most misinterpreted military services in the Middle East. Richly illustrated, "Wings of Iraq", Volume 2, provides a uniquely compact yet comprehensive guide to its operational history, its crucial officers and aircraft, and its major operations between 1970 and 1980.

Accordingly, Baghdad began a project in the second half of the 1970s that was based on a comprehensive technology transfer from France and was intended to prepare the Iraqi air force for the 21st century.
century. No sooner had this process begun than the new ruler in Baghdad, Saddam Hussein at-Tikriti, led his country into an invasion of neighbouring Iran and embroiled it in a ruinous eight-year war. This volume describes the events leading up to the start of this war and the first air strikes.
Although the Iraqi Air Force was practically 'born in battle', gaining valuable combat experience and playing an important role in many internal and external conflicts, it remains one of the least known and most misunderstood military services in the Middle East. This richly illustrated work offers a uniquely compact yet comprehensive guide to the history of the Iraqi Air Force, its key officers and aircraft, and its most important operations between 1970 and 1980.