Baghdad is close to finalising the purchase of a $2.5bn surface-to-air missile (SAM) system from China, the local Mawazin news agency, reported citing “informed sources”. The HQ-9/FD-2000 long-range system from China Precision Machinery Import and Export Corporation will be paid for in three instalments of $833m, starting in 2017. The Chinese missile system is thought to be based on the Russian S-300 system, which is now in place in Iran. Missile defences are becoming a key issue in the region, where Iran has a fast-growing ballistic missile arsenal.
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