UPI reports that “as Iraq’s government grapples with a rising al-Qaida insurgency in which thousands have been killed, officials say the military has started taking delivery of Russian arms as part of a landmark $4.3 billion contract signed in October 2012.”

“They did not specify which systems have arrived in Iraq or when, but Iraqi sources say it’s understood they include 10 fully armed Mil Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack helicopters, platforms that could be a major boost to the counterterrorism efforts by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.”