Some reality re who will be piloting the Russian Planes and now maybe Iraq’s planes:
‘Diplomatic sources told The Daily Beast that Russian pilots will fly the planes due to a lack of Iraqi pilots with the proper training. Neither Russia nor Iraq as explained how the Iraqi air force could possibly have pilots trained and ready to fly the Russian fighters. The Su-25 planes were used in the Iraq-Iran war but have not been employed in Iraq since at least 2002, when Iraq’s military was controlled by the Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein.’
I wouldn’t put ANY Iraqi pilots in any of my jets if I were Russian...too risky they’d hand them over to the highest bidder. They cannot be trusted and Russia knows this. Not to mention too many of Iraq’s army are unwilling to fight once they actually face fire. They run...and as many in our military have said, who have worked along side them, they really are just looking for the paycheck and have little desire to do more than necessary to get that.