I'm not certain that they had much scope to improve their equipment--they haven't imported any more tanks, and the T-72 was seriously outclassed by the Abrams (which has presumably itself been subject to sundry refinements since that time). Given that the US has an air presence, and does not typically deploy troops and armor without it, it's hard to see how the Iraqis could have achieved surprise. However, I possess no expertise in these matters whatsoever, and am not qualified to undertake a detailed discussion of the technical impedimenta. I remain skeptical about the Russian accounts, but I'm prepared to evaluate other evidence.

cordially,