The Iraqi air force has taken delivery of two more F-16 fighter jets, bringing to six the number of the sophisticated US planes it now has, an official said Wednesday.

Baghdad-based US military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said the Iraqis had purchased a total of 36 F-16s, and the only thing holding up their delivery was the availability of trained Iraqi pilots.

"The limiting factor has been pilot generation," he told Pentagon reporters in a video call, noting that the US-trained pilots need to go through a year or more of instruction in Arizona.

"We bring the F-16s in as pilots are available," he added.

The United States sees the strengthening of Iraq's small air force as a key component in Baghdad's efforts to push back the Islamic State group.

Warren said the Iraqi air force had been striking pre-planned targets but is also being used in a limited way to help troops on the ground.

"We look forward to this additional capability along with the additional trained pilots," Warren said.

Iraq took delivery of the first four F-16s in July.

Russian Helicopters completes Mi-17V-5 deliveries to India
Washington (UPI) Feb 2, 2016 - Russian Helicopters, part of the Russian state-owned Rostec Corporation, has completed its deliveries of Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters to India.

India's order comprised 151 Mi-17V-5 helicopters, which were produced by JSC Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters. Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev says India is one of the company's key markets for helicopters.

"Today, this country uses more than 400 helicopters, which have proved themselves well," Mikheev said in a statement. "We produce high-tech multirole helicopters capable of solving the most difficult tasks anywhere in the world."

The Mi-17V-5 is the military transport variant of the Mi-8/17 family of helicopters. The aircraft is designed to transport troops, arms and supporting equipment through desert and mountainous terrains.

The aircraft delivered to the Indian Air Force feature a KNEI-8 avionics suite, which replaced previous systems indicators with the goal of reducing the pilot's workload while in flight. The suite also cuts pre-flight inspection time by displaying all systems data to the crew before takeoff.

The delivery comes as The Indian Air Force plans to order an additional 48 of the helicopters.