On Monday, defense contractor L-3 Communications (LLL) announced that its Link Simulation & Training division has won a contract from the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center to build two F-16 Block 52 Full Mission Trainers (FMTs). The flight simulators will be used to train pilots for the Iraqi Air Force.
In a statement announcing the sale, L-3 noted that Iraq's first-ever purchase of flight simulators from L-3 makes it its 11th international customer for the F-16 FMT. The company noted that it has sold a total of 140 such devices to U.S. and foreign militaries over nearly 40 years of building them.
Iraq does not currently possess any actual F-16s for its pilots to fly, of course. But in Sept. 2011, the country signed a contract to purchase 36 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin (LMT 1.23%) for a total of $8.4 billion.
