BAGHDAD -- Iraq's Defence Ministry says the body of a pilot whose military plane crashed during a training mission in the United States has been found at the crash site.

Friday's ministry statement says search teams found the body of Brig. Gen. Rafid Mohammed Hassan at the crash site in southern Arizona.

He was the only person aboard when the F-16 Fighting Falcon plane went down during a Wednesday night training mission with the Arizona Air National Guard's 162nd Wing.

The crash site was 8 kilometres (5 miles) east of Douglas Municipal Airport, southeast of Tucson.

Iraq is to expecting its first batch of F-16s with U.S.-trained Iraqi pilots and spare parts. Iraqi military has said the planes would be immediately used to carry out operations against the extremist Islamic State group.