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Iraq Receives Final Mi-28 NE Military Helicopters From Russia

A Mi-28NE helicopter

Iraq has received their final batch of Russian Mi-28 NE Night Hunter military helicopters, the TASS news agency reported Tuesday, citing the Iraqi Defense Ministry.

The country is planning to use the new military assets in anti-terrorist operations.

“These machines have improved maneuverability and striking precision when striking. They are equipped with different kinds of missiles and a mobile gun,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“They have played an important role in recent campaigns to liberate different cities, in particular Fallujah and Ramadi.”

The Mi-28 NE Night Hunter is a modern military helicopter designed to attack armored vehicles, as well as low-speed air targets.

The BMPD blog, ran by Russia's independent Center of the Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, reported that the latest shipment contained the final four vehicles of 15 helicopters ordered by the Iraqi government.

A $4.2 billion package of arms deals between Russia and Iraq was signed in 2012, becoming the third biggest agreement for Russian arms sales since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, the Reuters news agency reported.

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