Another post on miscellaneous stuff.
Next one will be on the T-72s as stated previously.
1) Formation 185: SP-ATGM Pl (I mentioned previously it should get an additional unit per platoon as that was the organization according to
The Iraqi Army: Organization and Tactics)
2) Formation 186: SP-ATGM Section
3) Unit 228: VCR/TT HOT
Final availability date for all of the above should be changed to 4/2003.
A new SP-ATGM Section using two units 604 M901 ITV as template and with 1/2011-12/2020 as availability dates should be introduced instead.
Unit 265 M1045 TOW HMMWV from US OOB should be added.
It would be armed with weapon n. 155 Improved TOW.
1/2011-12/2020as availability dates.
So far the new iraqi has not aquired any ATGM (save some Hellfire for aircraft use) and it is not known what ATGM will be aquired. However huge numbers of HMMWVs are being handed down to the iraqi army. Even if eventually Milan or something else is bought HMMWV would probably be still used as launching platforms anyway so it could be rearmed later if necessary.
Unit 750:
It could be put back in. There were last year talks about purchasing some unspecified european ATGM but so far nothing has materialized. Had there been an emergency, say an iranian attack (pretty far fetched actually but still...) TOWs would have likely been the ATGM provided. Further it is at least possible that some will be handed down as the US withdraw, as that seem the intent with a lot of US equipment.
Unit 985 BM-14-16
1) Weapon n. 202 140mm Rocket should be replaced with weapon n. 215 107mm Rocket
2) It should be renamed “107mm MRL” or something like that.
107mm rockets fired from improvised launchers were the basic staple of insurgents rocket attacks. 140mm rockets haven’t turned up in Iraq (not in significant quantities at any rate, compared to 107mm ones)
Source: ordnace disposal reports and insurgent arms caches content descriptions.
Unit 115 from the US OOB UH-1D Huey should be added.
Availability dates 3/2005-12/2020
Armament should be changed to weapon n. 13 7.62mm PKM LMG
Sources:
http://www.milavia.net/airforces/iraq/iqaf.htm
http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?op...369&Itemid=128
Unit 314: OT-64 SKOT-2A
Initial availability date should be changed to 1/1976.
While SIPRI does indeed list 1981 as delivery date I have recently found out about photographic evidence that it was already used in quantity at the very beginning of the Iran Iraq War and had been available for some time before. Exact year of first delivery is unclear but 1976 or so should be a good approximation, the vehicles were supplied during the 70’s apparently. I guess that the batch supplied in 1981 was for replacement/supplement rather than first delivery.
Unit 359: Palmaria
1) Ammo load should be reduced to 30 HE rounds and no AP ones
2) Speed should be decreased from 32, way too high for such a vehicle, to 20 (quoted max speed is around 60km/h).
3) Crew could be increased from four to five
4) Hull front and hull side armor should be cut by half at least.
These changes would also apply to the following units
Unit n. 360 Palmaria in OOB 40 Libya
Unit n. 373 Palmaria in OOB 61 Nigeria
Sources:
http://www.military-today.com/artillery/palmaria.htm
Brassey’s enciclopedia of land forces and warfare by Franklin D. Margiotta
Unit 831: Vulcan AA Gun
It could be deleted.
The US phased out its last ones in 1994 with only a small number left by that date according to Jane’s, there are not significant numbers left available that could be supplied to Iraq. Further, it was a limited usefulness weapon even when it was in its prime, it is questionable the iraqis would be interested in getting them now.
Some ZU-23 and similar are alredy available for whatever limited antiaircraft guns needs may be (mostly fire support against ground targets).