ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s air defense commander said Thursday that the first batch of air defense system equipment is expected to arrive soon, following a review of several proposals as Baghdad moves to strengthen its air defense capabilities.

Iraq has been subject to hundreds of air and drone strikes amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, enduring attacks from both sides of the conflict. The US has targeted Iran-backed Iraqi militias while Iran has struck US military bases and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region, with Saudi Arabia and other regional neighbors similarly having launched retaliatory strikes

“A strategic plan has been developed to upgrade Iraqi air defense systems to protect Iraqi airspace from any hostile incursion,” Iraqi Air Defense Command chief Muhannad Ghalib al-Asadi said on Thursday, as cited by state media.

“The first batches of systems are expected to be received in the near future,” he said, citing funded agreements regarding the defense system plans. “The contracted systems are highly efficient, and some have proven very effective in the conflict under way in the region.”

“Technical delegations reviewed many air defense systems and advanced weapons and conducted difficult tests that proved the systems’ success,” he said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi directed that the timeframe for modernizing Iraq’s air defense capabilities be shortened from six to three years as a result of the country's current security situation.

Following the announcement, Iraqi lawmaker Mahmoud al-Shammari said Turkey and France have agreed to supply Iraq with air defense systems after their governments granted approval.

Iraq has also courted other countries, such as South Korea, for air defense systems. In 2024, the country placed an order for eight KM-SAM batteries, a system that made its combat debut in the UAE in March to intercept Iranian drones and missiles, though the deal with Seoul has stalled.

In August, Zaidi chaired a meeting of the Air Defense Command to discuss plans to develop its capabilities and contracts with foreign companies to equip it with “advanced specialized systems” and to enhance Iraq's capabilities to monitor and control airspace.

Speaking to Iraqi state media on Tuesday regarding a drone attack on Sulaimani's Khor Mor gas field, Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Iraqi commander-in-chief, said that "there is great importance in strengthening security and stability in vital areas and facilities," he added, noting that the Kurdistan Region "also has a share in this matter."

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in late October said that acquiring air defense systems is of the utmost importance for the Region, noting that "talks are ongoing with the federal government" on the matter.