Editing Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (section)

===Iraq War===
{{main|2003 invasion of Iraq}}
At the onset of the [[Iraq War]], Iraq's IADS was a fraction of what it had been during the Gulf War, though it was still one of the densest defense networks in the world.  Over 200 SAM systems were still operational, mainly the older SA-2s, SA-3s and SA-6s, along with over 2,000 MANPADS and large numbers of AAA guns.  Improvements had been made to Kari, including greater usage of fiber optic cables, and more advanced equipment such as [[GPS]] guidance jammers were acquired.  In addition to the ADOC and four original SOCs, a fifth SOC was created in Baghdad and specifically assigned to defend Saddam's palaces, the Republican Guards, and key security facilities.<ref name=IW32>Cordesman, Anthony H. "The Iraq War: Strategy, Tactics, and Military Lessons"  CSIS, 2003. p. 32-36</ref>

Still, the defense network was too old and outdated to seriously challenge the [[Multi-National Force – Iraq|Coalition]]'s dominance of Iraqi airspace, which had not only succeeded in suppressing Iraqi defenses during the Gulf War but continued to do so during the enforcement of [[Iraqi no-fly zones]].  Starting on March 1st, aggressive "enforcement" of the no-fly zones accounted for the destruction of as many as a third of Iraq's missile launchers and radars by the time the invasion commenced on March 20th.<ref name=IW32/>

During the course of the invasion, there were 1,660 reports of SAM launches and similar numbers of AAA firings, for the loss of [[List of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Iraq War|very few aircraft]].  While Iraq largely failed to shoot down many Coalition aircraft, the sheer numbers of their air defenses still made them dangerous until the final stages of the invasion.  This was true in particular for its large number of short-range missile and AAA weapons, which made low-altitude missions deadly and were harder to suppress.  Where possible, Coalition forces conducted stand-off strikes from outside the range of these defenses.<ref name=IW32/>  The unsuccessful [[2003 attack on Karbala]] exemplifies the dangers faced by aircraft operating at low altitudes around air defenses.