After the declaration of the Iraqi Republic, Iraq was equipped with 100 mm cannons guided by radar and the course was opened inside Iraq on November 1, 1958, under the supervision of Russian experts. After the training was completed, the battalion was reorganized on January 12, 1960, and its name was changed to the Medium anti-Aircraft Battalion/31, and its first commander was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Daoud Salman al-Ghalay, thus being the first piloted anti-aircraft battalion in the army, armed with 100 mm guided guns. The organization of the battalion included a headquarters, a control campany, and three firing campanies.The battalion took Abu Ghraib camp as its headquarters.