Alleged image of US-made RQ-4 Global Hawk drone shot down by Iran (image: IRNA)

Days after an Iranian air defence missile brought down a US Global Hawk surveillance drone, Iraq has sought technical collaboration from Tehran to develop air defence systems.

The cooperation, highlighted during the visit last week of of Deputy Commander of the Iraqi Army Tariq Abbas Ibrahim Abdulhussein, would potentially include production, training, logistical support in various fields, including electronic warfare operations, radar operation, optical surveillance, command and control, radar calculations, and software.

“Baghdad was requesting the cooperation “in the light of the previous instances of observation by Iraqi military delegations of Iran’s defensive capabilities,” PressTV reported Monday, quoting the Iraqi official as saying.

“Iran has achieved the capability for manufacturing various pieces of air defense equipment, including tactical and deployable radars, missile and artillery systems, signal intelligence gathering, electronic warfare equipment, and unmanned aerial vehicles,” the Iranian commander said, adding that Tehran is in “complete readiness to meet Baghdad’s defensive needs in all areas of expertise concerning manufacturing and supporting air defense systems.”

According to the commander, the two countries had agreed to cooperate in the area of air defense in April, to fend off the challenges facing their respective air spaces.