# Iraqi Army Aviation Command

The Iraqi Army Aviation Command is the aviation branch of the Iraqi Ground Forces founded in 1980. It commands the helicopter class as well as the class of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It is a completely separate force from the Iraqi Air Force, and is currently led by Major General Muhammad Abdul-Karim Aouni.

## History
### Origination Of Aviation Command

The Iraqi Army Aviation Command was formed after a split from the Iraqi Air Force in 1980.

### The 1990s

After Iraq's military was destroyed in the Gulf War, and the Army Aviation Command lost much of its equipment in military operations. After the war, Iraq was unable to rebuild to its previous state of military power as a result of the United Nations' decision to blockade Iraq.

### After 2003

After the United States and its allies invaded Iraq in 2003 and the civil administrator Paul Bremer, decided to dissolve and rehabilitate the Iraqi army. The Army Aviation Command was dissolved and most of the military, logistical equipment and infrastructure was dismantled. The United States then aided in the reconstruction of the Army Aviation Command and supplied it with the necessary military equipment, logistics and rehabilitation of army bases and airports.

## Organization
### Command

Army Aviation Command Headquarters: Baghdad

### Academies and training centers

Army Aviation College
The College of Aviation is one of the formations of the Army Aviation Command. The college habilitates, prepares and trains pilots in various specialized and military theory and skills, including navigation, flight theories, air conditioning, the English language, communications and various military lessons in order to prepare them to work in all squadrons and air bases and to continue performing their tasks in combating terrorism and defending Iraq. The college consists of five wings: Aviation, Teaching, Technical, Administration, supplies and Military Training.

### Bases and airports

The Army Aviation Command uses military bases and airports scattered throughout Iraq.

## Personnel
### Army Aviation Command Commanders

| Military Rank | Name | Duration |
| Lieutenant General P.S.C. | Hamed Atiya Al-Maliki | 2005-2020 |
| Lieutenant General P.S.C. | Samir Zaki Husayn Al-Maliki | 2020-2024 |
| Major General P.S.C | Muhammad Abdul-Karim Aouni | 2024-present |

### Ranks

The ranks of the army aviation force are the same as the standard armed forces ranks. Because the army's flight force is derived from the air force, it inherited the ranks of the air force and comes with epaulets of sky-blue color and below the epaulettes are two wings of an eagle (indicating the pilots). Technical officers, engineers and ground crews have the same rank form with the wings of an eagle. The wings of the eagle are on the red stripe in the case of the staff officer, the epaulettes used to be the olive drab or khaki of the Army but with wings.

#### Officers

| lieutenant pilot | First L. pilot | Captain pilot | Major pilot | L. colonel pilot | Colonel pilot | Brigadier General pilot | Major general pilot | L. general pilot | General pilot |

#### Soldiers and Warrant officers

Soldiers and warrant officers in Army Aviation Command constitute are the ground crew, responsible for set and preparation of the aircraft on the flight line as well as ground guidance. they are not flying the aircraft, so the epaulette have no eagle's wings. The soldier's uniform does not contain epaulettes.
| Soldier | 1st Soldier | Sergeant | Corporal | Chief S. |

## Equipment
### Helicopters

This force reached its peak power at the end of the first Gulf War, when the commanding cadres numbered nearly 900 different helicopters. The armament of the Iraqi army was generally from the eastern bloc. As a result of the policies followed by the Iraqi state, most of the helicopters were Soviet. After 2003 the United States armed the Iraqi army aviation with American and Western helicopters.
In October 2012, it was reported that Iraq had signed a contract with Russia to purchase weapons, including approximately 30 Mil Mi-28 helicopters. The agreement was confirmed on October 9. Part of the deal was later canceled due to the Iraqi parliament's condemnation of the deal on suspicion of corruption, but the Iraqi Defense Minister stated that "the deal will go ahead". The contract was already signed and included the Mil Mi-28NE helicopters, and deliveries began in September 2013. Another 10 aircraft of the same model were delivered in January 2014.
The Army Aviation currently owns 175 operational helicopters, including 15 attack helicopters, out of 300 purchased, including 67-114 heavy attack helicopters (it is scheduled to reach 500 helicopters), as follows:
| name | origin | type | number | notes |
| Helicopter ||||||
| Helicopters H225M | France | Multi-role | | 12 on order |
| Mil Mi-24 | Russia | Attack | 23 | 12 on order |
| Mil Mi-28 | Russia | Close air support/Anti-armor | 17 | 19 on order |
| Bell 206 | United States | Multi-role | 10 | |
| Bell 407 | United States | Multi-role and training | 40 | 5 optional order |
| Bell 505 | United States | Training | 7 | 15 ordered |
| Bell OH-58 Kiowa | United States | Training | 10 | |
| Eurocopter EC635 | France | Light attack | 24 | |
| Bell UH-1 Iroquois | United States | Multi purpose | 15 | |
| KAI KUH-1 Surion | South Korea | Utility | | 2 on order |
| Airbus Helicopters H135 | France | Utility | 20 | |
| Mil Mi-8 | Soviet Union | Transport | 20 | |
| Mil Mi-17 | Soviet Union | Multi purpose | 22 | |

### Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

| name | origin | type | number | notes |
| UAV ||||||
| CH-5 | China | MALE UCAV | Unknown | |
| CH-4 | China | MALE UCAV | 1 | CH-4B |
| Bayraktar TB2 | Turkey | UCAV | | 8 on order |
Iraq has contracted for 14 CH-4 medium-altitude and long-range (M.A.L.E.) UAV from China, used for reconnaissance and treating targets using precision-guided missiles.

#### Losses of helicopters destroyed during the fight against ISIS

| Helicopters | origin | downed/ destroyed |
| Bell 407 | United States | 1 |
| Mil Mi-17 | Soviet Union | 1 |
| Mil Mi-28 | Soviet Union | 1 |
| Mil Mi-35 m | Russia | 1 |
| Total | | 4 |