MT-LB

The Iraqi Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 16 December that it had received a consignment of tanks, armoured vehicles, and ammunition from Bulgaria. It provided no further details. The announcement came after photographs began circulating on social media showing a T-72 tank and as many as 12 BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) that had […]

ISIS has paraded its tanks and heavy weapons inside Mosul, in an apparent bid to boost the morale of its fighters following its defeat in the battles for Tikrit. The Iraqi government declared victory in Tikrit on Wednesday and warned the militants holding other Iraqi provinces that they would be the next to fall. According […]

In a military scrapyard in the southern Iraqi desert, abandoned army equipment sat for years waiting to be melted down to steel bars. Now, thanks to new conflict and a resourceful old mechanic, some of the rusty warhorses have won a reprieve. Last June’s stunning offensive by Islamic State militants who control much of northern […]

The armour on five of Iraq’s M1A1 Abrams tanks was penetrated by anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and six helicopters were shot down between 1 January and the end of May, The New York Times quoted an unnamed US official as saying on 13 June. The official said 28 Iraqi Army Abrams had been damaged in fighting with […]

On April 20, an Iraqi armored platoon was probing into insurgent-held territory near the city of Ramadi. Aside from a dozen MTLB armored vehicles, the Iraqi unit included at least one upgraded T-55 tank. At least on paper, the platoon was more than enough to defeat lightly-armed insurgents. But as the column passed through the […]