The Iraqi Army Aviation Command is one of the formations of the Iraqi armed forces, founded in 1980. It manages and commands the helicopter class as well as the class of Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs). It is a completely separate force from the Iraqi air force, currently led by the Lieutenant General Samir Zaki. It has had important and impressive roles in most of the Iraqi army's wars after its establishment such as the first Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War and its role in Iraq's war on terrorism in supporting ground forces, providing air cover in battles and targeting terrorist movements. This force reached its climax at the end of the first Gulf War, when the commanding cadres consisted of nearly 900 different helicopters.