Iraq (uh-huh) Places $1.5 Billion Military Order

Tweet The Iraqi government has placed a $1.5 billion order with the United States for additional military equipment.

They are buying an additional 300 armored personnel carriers, 600 additional up-armored Humvees, several UH-2 advanced helicopters. They will also buy more armored wheeled vehicles for moving troops, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said in Baghdad Wednesday.

This is in addition to the Iraq's growing arsenal. The Iraqi air force has Russian-built 10 MI-17 helicopters, which can each carry up to 30 troops or 20 wounded, as well as outsized cargo. It can also be armed with missiles and bombs.

It has three Lockheed Martin-built C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft, and 18 other fixed-wing aircraft.

The Iraqi navy has five Predator-class patrol boats. The boats are Chinese-made, 27-meters long and were ordered in 2002 by Saddam Hussein's regime under the United Nations oil-for-food program, but their delivery was blocked as the boats had a military application. The United States subsequently paid for the boats and handed them over to the Iraqi government after ousting Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi navy has at least one other class of patrol boat and 10 rigid hull boats.

The Iraqi military and police forces will reach a total of 325,000 this month, according to U.S. officials, and lead responsibility for security in Iraq will fall on their shoulders by the end of 2007.

Found on Angry Arab Newservice