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Iraq leans on Korea in arms shift from U.S., Russia

Published: 24 Oct. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 24 Oct. 2025, 16:20

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

LIG Nex1's medium-range surface-to-air missiles (M-SAM), also known as Skybolts, are being fired during a military exercise in Korea in 2024. [LIG NEX1]

[NEWS ANALYSIS]

After purchasing Korean missiles and fighter jets, the Iraqi military may be expanding its deals with local defense companies as it seeks to strengthen its deterrence posture amid the confrontation between Iran and Israel.

Korea may offer an attractive alternative to replace Iraq's outdated equipment and vehicles manufactured by the United States and Russia, since the selection could avoid the geopolitical baggage that often accompanies defense contracts with the Cold War rivals, all while meeting expectations on quality and delivery timelines.

LIG Nex1's medium-range surface-to-air missiles (M-SAM), also known as Skybolt, is on display at the Armed Forces Day on Oct. 1. [YONHAP]

At the heart of the procurement is the $2.8 billion purchase of LIG Nex1's medium-range surface-to-air missiles (M-SAM) — also known as Skybolts — which was revealed in an electronic disclosure in 2024 and will be delivered to the Iraqi armed forces in early 2026.

On the heels of that deal, the Middle Eastern country may also purchase KF-21 fighter jets from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), K9 self-propelled howitzers from Hanwha Aerospace and K2 main battle tanks from Hyundai Rotem.

While there have been no official documents signed on any new deals, Iraqi army officials visited Hanwha Aerospace earlier this year, touring the company’s factory and training grounds and coming away with a positive impression. Korean media The Guru, citing Iraqi news outlet Nina, reported Wednesday that KAI was “discussing in-depth” Iraq’s acquisition of the KF-21 fighter jet.

A domestically developed KF-21 fighter jet is seen at the Korea Aerospace Industries hanger in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang on May 10, 2023. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

“Iraq had already purchased the T-50 and the firefighter versions of the KUH-1 Surion, so they are naturally more interested in the KAI’s offerings,” a KAI spokesperson told the Korea JoongAng Daily, adding that it’s still early to comment on the export progress.

Similarly, analysts believe that an Iraqi deal for the K2 tank is possible. Meritz Securities analyst Lee Ji-ho commented that a 9 trillion won ($6.2 billion) contract from Iraq may be finalized by the end of 2025 to replace the U.S.-made M1 Abrams.

The M-SAM contract, designed to replace an outdated missile defense system, was chosen for very similar reasons: a cheaper price, good performance and timely delivery. This likely allowed LIG Nex1 to win a bid over Russia’s S-400, despite Iraqi forces using Russia’s Pantsir for short-range missile defense.

“Korea can inevitably offer a better deal in the Middle East because it is an underdog compared to the United States, Russia or even European countries,” said an industry source, who was given anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the case. “It is also a good midpoint for forces that wish to keep a certain distance from both Russia and the United States.”

Currently, the Iraqi military uses weapons from all around the world in the wake of the U.S. invasion in 2003 — its army uses both U.S. and Russian tanks alongside Soviet-era tanks, while the air force utilizes a mix of U.S.-made F-16IQs and Soviet-made Su-25s along with the Czech Republic’s L-159.

Iraq’s purchase of Korean arms began with the T-50, the jet trainer and light combat aircraft, manufactured by KAI, back in 2013. The T-50, however, didn’t win the Iraqi air force contract just because of its cheap price compared to the offerings by Britain, the Czech Republic and Russia. The plane had a comparative advantage over the competition for being able to work as a jet trainer in peacetime and as a light combat fighter if needed; the Korean jet was also designed with F-16 technologies, making it more compatible with Iraq’s own fighter jets, and KAI was able to promise a fast delivery timeline.

“While it is true that people in Iraq have an anti-U.S. sentiment, at the same time, they operate a lot of U.S.-made weapon systems,” Sangji University Prof. Choi Gi-il, who specializes in military and defense, said. “So Korean products that have U.S. influence and are designed to work with U.S. systems wouldn’t pose a negative sentiment to the Iraqi armed forces.”

And while the Korean weaponry will face competition from European nations and China, the ability to deliver on time, the weapons' readiness, quality and performance as well as the cheaper cost may convince the Middle Eastern country to choose more Korean arms — Prof. Choi argued that Chinese weapon systems may be considerably cheaper than the Korean offerings, but questionable wartime availability and parts incompatibility would make them less competitive.

Hyundai Rotem's K2PL main battle tank is on display at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition on Oct. 20 in Goyang, Gyeonggi [CHO YONG-JUN]

But there’s still a long way to go for Korea, as arms exports require the help of the government and often take many years until a deal is finalized. And while the new administration is eagerly pushing defense sales to a variety of countries, Prof. Choi said the government should continue the good effort, but in a quieter way.

“It’s great to see the government actively involved in defense industry exports, as the industry can’t go anywhere without the government’s help,” the professor said. “That being said, I think the current administration is being too open about it, too revealing, when they should be doing things under the radar.”

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]],rotem