As it awaits delivery of medium-range Cheongung-II air defense, anti-ballistic missile systems, also known as the KM-SAM, from South Korea, Iraq has also finalized a deal for 20 air defense systems from Turkey. The move indicates that the Middle Eastern country, which has had its airspace violated with impunity during the last two Iran wars, is eyeing strengthening its limited air defense with a layered system capable of combating a multitude of airborne threats.
Baghdad is finalizing a deal for 20 air defense systems from Turkey, The National, a UAE-based news outlet, first reported on May 6. While the report did not specify which Turkish-made systems Iraq is acquiring, it did quote Iraqi Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Lt. Gen. Saad Harbiye, saying that: “New air defenses against drones have become really important for Iraq.”
Turkey has developed several indigenous air defense systems in recent years, which it is integrating into its emergent, multilayered integrated air defense system dubbed Steel Dome. Systems include the short-range Korkut anti-aircraft gun, designed for point defense against threats such as drones, and the Hisar family of missiles, which currently includes the short-range Hisar-A and the medium-range Hisar-O. The longest-range homegrown surface-to-air system Turkey has developed to date is undoubtedly the Siper, designed for intercepting cruise missiles and drones. Two upcoming variants of the Siper, the Siper-A and Siper-4, will also be able to counter ballistic missiles, a capability Turkey’s existing air defenses notably lack, as the most recent Iran war once again demonstrated.
According to Middle East Eye, the Turkish system Iraq is most likely acquiring is the Korkut to counter low-altitude drone threats. In September 2025, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported that the manufacturer Aselsan had developed a new version of that defense system: the 100/25, a more capable variant for dealing with smaller first-person-view drones than its 100/35S predecessor, using 25-millimeter smart ammunition.
Twenty of these systems, especially that newer variant, may prove ideal for Iraq, which has faced repeated threats from such drones.
Iraq’s current air defenses consist of American-made AN/TWQ-1 Avenger short-range air defense systems, which fire FIM-92 Stinger missiles, and medium-range Russian Pantsir-S1 systems armed with 57-E6 missiles and autocannons. Neither system is suitable for much more than providing point defense.
It’s worth recalling that Iraq had requested three medium-range Hawk-21 systems, a modernized version of the venerable MIM-23 Hawk, along with its Avengers, but ultimately never received any of those longer-range surface-to-air missiles. Similarly, it never followed up its acquisition of Pantsir-S1s with purchases or longer-range strategic systems from Russia, such as the S-300 and S-400, although Baghdad did flirt with buying these in the late 2010s.
Prior to 1991, Iraq’s surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems were all integrated into the advanced French-built Kari command-and-control system. In those days, Iraqi ground-based air defenses consisted mainly of Soviet-made and French Roland-2 SAMs. Kari and many of these formerly integrated missile systems were destroyed in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and any surviving systems were dismantled by the subsequent 2003 invasion of Iraq.
These present-day acquisitions likely mark the most serious post-2003 effort Iraq has made to build a new, integrated air defense. It’s unclear whether its new Turkish Korkuts will ultimately replace or reinforce the Russian Pantsir-S1s for providing point defense of military bases and critical infrastructure against small drones. The overall operational status of these Russian systems isn’t entirely clear. Iraq is already known to have had issues maintaining other Russian hardware since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, most notably with its Mi-17 Hip utility helicopters, which it has subsequently begun replacing with American Bell helicopters.
The Cheongung-II contract arguably represents the single most consequential air defense acquisition Iraq has made since 2003. These advanced medium-range systems recently made their combat debut in the U.S.-Israel war with Iran by shooting down drones and missiles fired at the United Arab Emirates, which had just fast-tracked them into service. At an estimated cost of around $1.1 million per missile, the systems are significantly cheaper than the U.S. Patriot PAC-3, which costs approximately $4 million each. Baghdad expects to receive its first batteries as early as this year. It has ordered eight in total. Their arrival will mark a major technological upgrade for its broader air defense capabilities at a time when it finds its airspace repeatedly violated by fighter jets, cruise missiles, and numerous drone types by the U.S., Israel, and Iran.
Deployed efficiently, the Cheongung-II and Korkut systems could provide layered protection over sizable portions of Iraqi airspace against ballistic missiles, low-flying, air-breathing cruise missiles, and relatively simple but potentially lethal close-range FPV drones.
These dual acquisitions represent the most serious effort Iraq has made in decades to develop an integrated air defense system. However, buying such advanced systems off-the-shelf isn’t all that’s needed to stand up an effective air defense. Iraq will need considerable training and technical support, especially for operating those more sophisticated Korean systems. Baghdad’s record in operating and maintaining advanced military hardware isn’t all that reassuring. As recently as the latest Iran war, which began on February 28, it reportedly once again exhibited severe difficulties in sustaining its F-16 Viper fighter jet fleet without continuous American contractor support.
Therefore, it remains to be seen whether these Korean and Turkish systems will ever realize their full combat potential in Iraqi service.
