The jets, which were carefully hidden at the Al Asad air base, were mostly old and obsolescent MiG 21s, but a few were the more recent and still capable MiG 25s.

Military experts believe that with much inferior electronics and without full command and control systems, they would have been no match for coalition air forces if they had taken to the sky, which none did.

Defence sources here said one of the jets may find its way to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, which features among its historical aviation exhibits a World War II Lancaster bomber.

But most were likely to become a major part of the air force of a new, democratic Iraq.

The US-led coalition accept that the new Iraq could not be left militarily naked in a heavily armed region.

Defence spokesman Brigadier Mike Hannan said Australian SAS, commandos of the 4th Royal Australian Regiment and the incident response regiment whose troopers found the aircraft were continuing their search at Al Asad, Iraq's second biggest air base.

Armoured vehicles, anti-aircraft weapons, missiles and protective clothing were also found.

Hannan said while the conventional military threat to coalition forces had diminished, there were still pockets of resistance and there had been significant skirmishes, mainly involving the US 4th infantry division, in the north.

Australia's squadron of F/A-18 Hornets were not engaged over Easter.

Hannan said he expected a proclamation from the coalition commander soon that combat operations had ceased and the force was an occupying power.

SPACE.WIRE