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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Iraq
Index
From 1972 to 1979, the percentage of Iraq's military
equipment supplied by the Soviet Union declined from 95 to 63
percent. Even so, in 1987 the Soviet Union, having provided more
than US$8 billion worth of weapons since 1980, was Iraq's most
important arms supplier. In its 1987 annual study, Soviet
Military Power, the United States Department of Defense
stated that, while maintaining official neutrality in the IranIraq War, the Soviet Union had provided extensive military
assistance to Iraq, and at the same time, continued its efforts
to gain leverage on Iran. In early 1987, Moscow delivered a
squadron of twenty-four MiG-29 Fulcrums to Baghdad. Considered
the most advanced fighter in the Soviet arsenal, the MiG-29
previously had been provided only to Syria and India. The
decision to export the MiG-29 to Iraq, also assured Iraq a more
advantageous payment schedule than any offered by the West and it
reflected Soviet support for one of its traditional allies in the
Middle East. Caught in a financial crisis, Baghdad welcomed the
low-interest loans Moscow extended for this equipment.
Although the Soviets might not receive payments for several
years, the sale of military hardware remained a critical source
of revenue for them, and they have tried to retain Iraq as a
customer. In May 1987, for example, the Soviets provided Iraq
with better financial terms in a successful effort to prevent
Iraq from buying sixty French Mirage 2000 fighters for an
estimated US$3 billion. An additional US$3 billion in sales of
helicopters and radar equipment may also have been denied to the
French, although it was not possible to determine whether the
Soviets agreed to fulfill both requirements. In early 1988, Iraq
owed the Soviet Union between US$8 billion and US$10 billion in
military debts alone.
Data as of May 1988
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