Iraq Bought Lots Of Chinese Weapons

Years of speculation about Chinese-Iraqi arms deals are finally laid to rest this year. The newest IQDEX 2024, held in Baghdad and taking place from April 20 until 23, brought along the usual exhibitors but also left space for local companies. The powerful Defense Industries Commission (DIC) occupied the largest stand, measuring 700 square meters total, at the edge of the indoor venue. It wasn’t a coincidence Norinco’s presence was right in front of the DIC. At IQDEX 2024 it was confirmed a wheeled APC supplied by Norinco has been ordered by Iraq to be locally assembled.

Iraq’s government is still in the process of rebuilding state-owned factories to help supply the armed forces. On April 21 the DIC and representatives of Norinco formalized their partnership at IQDEX 2024. The cornerstone is the VN22 wheeled APC, a successor of sorts to the VN2/Type 90 6×6 armored transport, and the DIC released footage of the vehicle being put through its paces at an obstacle course on April 2. The single VN22 seen at the IQDEX 2024 venue had seating for eight dismounts and a turret for a manually operated heavy machine gun. The VN22 is an export approved wheeled APC first publicized by Chinese state media in 2021 and a few batches have reached at least two African countries. The vehicle supports different armaments but the model seen at IQDEX 2024 had a three-barrel 12.7mm heavy machine gun known as the LM12 in a fully enclosed armored cupola on its roof. This weapon system is comparable to the US-made General Electric GAU-19/A.

Iraq’s military and internal security agencies relied on wheeled APC for decades and the Saddam-era army used to operate a fleet of Brazilian-made EE-11 Urutu APCs that complemented the EE-9 Cascavel scout car. (These are aside from French and Soviet wheeled APCs.) Since 2003 the army, law enforcement, and interior ministry have familiarized themselves with other wheeled armored vehicles like the US-made M1117. Variants of the Ukrainian BTR-3, assembled in the historic KMDB plant, are operated by Iraqi police. The Saddam-era armed forces were no strangers to Chinese-made weaponry, whether these are artillery pieces, anti-ship missiles, medium tanks, small arms or fighter jets. The obsolete Type 63 tracked APC once formed the backbone for the army’s mechanized units. When taken into perspective Norinco’s current support for the DIC’s program for manufacturing a wheeled APC restores a historic alliance.

The VN22’s pending acceptance in the army offers some advantages. The layout of its hull and protection level is superior to the vulnerable M113 APCs that are still used in large numbers. The choice of weaponry on the VN22 is impressive and Norinco offers other weapon stations like a turret with a 105mm gun. The DIC is complementing the VN22 with a new fleet of protected trucks supplied by The Armored Group, LLC. These models are the LT-79 and the BATT UMG serving as worthwhile alternatives to US-made Humvees and MRAPs such as the Cougar and the MaxxPro. The LT-79 in particular is operated by some PMF formations.

Another surprising outcome of the DIC and Norinco’s cooperation are the small arms being licensed to state-owned factories. Like in other Arab countries the state-owned DIC oversees specialized manufacturers. At IQDEX 2024 its pavilion included the State Company for Military Industries and General Company for Copper and Mechanical Industries; the latter is responsible for mass-producing ammunition. It appears both enterprises are contributing to the production of Kalashnikov assault rifles. This is another revival of Saddam-era industrial policy when ex-Yugoslav AKs were assembled in large batches during the 1980s. From this year onward the Type 56-1 assault rifle (Norinco’s copy of the AKS-47) and other infantry small arms are being introduced. The primary armament on the VN22, the LM5 rotary machine gun, has an alternate in the LM12 a Chinese 5.56mm rotary machine gun competing with the Minigun.

The Iraqi government’s balance sheet has been on a positive trajectory since 2021 (oil revenues totaled $300 billion as of 2023) and this might explain the DIC’s ambitions. China’s military-industrial sector won record-breaking arms deals with Iraq in the past. History can repeat itself and the armed forces, who seem well-equipped on paper, have gaps in their arsenal where Chinese technology fits. A niche where the Chinese might be edged out this decade are multirole fighter jets. There’s constant speculation France is lobbying for an order of Rafales from Baghdad with generous payment terms. The air force have in turn participated embraced multinational exercises with the UAE, the region’s primary operator of Rafales, and there are other signs an Iraqi Rafale deal is being finalized.