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Royal Jordanian Air Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) (Arabic: القوات الجوية الملكية الأردنية, Transliterated: Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya Almalakiya al-Urduniya in Arabic) is the Aviation branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces.
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Jordan achieved independence in 1920 but it was not until 1931 that the first air bases were set up, by the Royal Air Force. By 1950, Jordan began to develop a small air arm which came to be known as the Arab Legion Air Force or (ALAF). The Royal Air Force assisted in training this small air arm, and provided equipment. The main fighter in the ALAF was the De Havilland Vampire.
By 1955, King Hussein began to realize the need for Jordan to have a more modern Air force, so the RJAF was established on September 25, 1955. By 1958 the Royal Air Force had left Jordan and the RJAF had taken control of airfields in the country.
By the 1960s, the RJAF had a fleet of Hawker Hunters in the fighter role, and cargo planes and helicopters used in the transport role.
1964 brought the RJAF's first victory in the air. In the Battle of the Dead Sea, four Hawker Hunters shot down one Israeli Mirage and allegedly damaged three others.
During the 1967 Six-Day War, the RJAF destroyed an Israeli transport on the grounds of an Israeli Air Force base before an Israeli counterstrike destroyed the RJAF in their hangars and decisively removed the RJAF from the war.
In the 1970s the RJAF was modernized. F-104 Starfighters were acquired from the United States following heavy losses in the Six-Day War. The RJAF also acquired F-5s from Iran who had got them from the United States. T-37 Tweets were also acquired for the training role. In 1977, the RJAF sold its fleet of Hawker Hunters to the Sultan of Oman's Air Force. Following peace between Egypt and Israel in 1979, the RJAF began to modernize its fleet once again. The first part of this program was the procurement of the Dassault Mirage F1 which became the RJAF's frontline fighter.
In the 1980s, the RJAF supported Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi regime during the Iran-Iraq War, committing their aircraft to combat practice alongside Iraqi aircraft squadrons and jointly operating one aircraft squadron. During the 1991 Desert Storm conflict, Jordan declared support for the Iraqi regime, but the RJAF was never committed to combat in that war.
In 1987 the RJAF received CASA C-101s to replace the T-37 in the training role. The newest addition to the RJAF is the F-16 Fighting Falcon which is its most advanced aircraft. The RJAF plans to acquire more of these airplanes in order to keep its fleet modernized and combat ready.
The commander of the Royal Jordan Air Force is His Royal Highness Major General Feisal Bin Al-Hussein. King Abdullah II was an officer in the RJAF before his accession to the throne.
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Versions | In service[1] | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bell AH-1 Cobra |  United States |
attack helicopter | AH-1F
AH-1S |
31 | |
| CASA C-101 Aviojet |  Spain |
trainer | C-101CC | 13 | |
| CASA CN-235 | Spain |
tactical transport | 2 | ||
| CASA C-295 | Spain |
tactical transport | 2 | ||
| Dassault Mirage F1 |  France |
trainer
fighter fighter |
Mirage F1B
Mirage F1C Mirage F1E |
1
11 14 |
|
| Eurocopter Cougar | France |
transport helicopter | AS 332M | 10 | |
| Eurocopter EC 635 |  European Union |
utility helicopter | 9 | ||
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules | United States |
tactical transport | C-130H | 5 | |
| Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon | United States |
fighter
trainer |
F-16A
F-16B |
27
4 |
|
| MD Helicopters MD 500 | United States |
scout helicopter | MD 500D | 8 | |
| Northrop F-5 Tiger II | United States |
fighter
trainer |
F-5E
F-5F |
43 | |
| Schweizer SA 2-37 | United States |
trainer | SA 2-37A | 2 | |
| Slingsby T-67 Firefly |  United Kingdom |
trainer | T-67M-260 | 16 | |
| Socata TB | France |
utility | TB 20 Trinidad | 2 |
The five Extra 300 aerobatic aircraft of the Royal Jordanian Falcons are operated by RJAF pilots, but owned by Royal Jordanian Airlines.
The police operate 4 Eurocopter Colibri and 3 Eurocopter Bo 105S.
A variety of other types have seen recent service with RJAF:
- Transport aircraft
- 1 An-74
- 2 C-212
- 1 Falcon 20
- 2 Il-76
- 1 Boeing 707
- 2 CL-604
- 2 Falcon 50
- 2 Gulfstream III
- 3 Gulfstream IV
- 1 Gulfstream V
- 1 L-1011
- Trainers
- 15 Mk.125
- 12 PA-28
- 6 PA-34
- 6 SB7L
- Transport helicopters
- 10 UH-60 Blackhawk
- 5 S-70
- 3 BK-117
The roundel of the RJAF is three circles, with black, white and green circles, going from outside to inside. At the top of the roundel is a red triangle containing the seven-pointed star of the Flag of Jordan. The tails of aircraft usually carry an image of the flag of Jordan.
- ^ "World Military Aircraft Inventory", Aerospace Source Book 2007, Aviation Week & Space Technology, January 15, 2007.
- Official Site of the Royal Jordanian Air Force
- Unofficial Royal Jordanian Airforce Website
- Royal Jordanian Airforce courtesy of Scramble.nl
- [1]
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