The first four of a total batch of sixteen F-16AM fighters have been delivered to the RJAF on September 10th. Check out the link below for some great pics (pictured at Kleine Brogel airbase).

Great additions to Jordan's Airpower!

http://www.baha.be/Webpages/Navigato...ordanian%20Fighting%20Falcons.html


Thanks Vatche for the tip!

These are great shots and the even this early block F-16s look really sleek. Mabrouk!

So how many F-16s (including the MLUs) does the RJAF have now?

Quoting OD720 (Reply 1): So how many F-16s (including the MLUs) does the RJAF have now?

I believe its 58 now (Peace Falcon I and II and the ex-BAF and KLU machines). Not exactly sure though.

Please check out the link below from another photographer who was also present at Kleine Brogel on the 10th of Sep.

http://www.f-16.net/news_article3044.html

Cheers

Thanks for the link.

Too many questions maybe but does anyone know how many F-16s does the RJAF plans to have? A large fleet costs a lot of money.
Does the RJAF have the AMRAAM in its inventory or do they still rely on the AIM-7 Sparrow?

I also would like to know about the AA and A2G armament of the Mirage F.1.

What about the CASA trainers, any plans to replace them or are they happy with them for the time being?

There's a lot of homework for you for the week  

Best regards.

Dear RJAF,
Many congratulations on the new Fighting Falcons. Fitting aircraft for a well deserving Air Force.
And huge compliments also for the great photos.
It is always good to hear from you again. Keep up the good work and once again, Mabrook.

Hi there,

Poor weather conditions during the morning they left KB  


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Photo © Walter Van Bel


Take care of them, we will miss them here!

Hope to see a picture on here soon in Jordan skies!

Best regards,

Walter

This is a good buy for Jordan, those aircraft should be of service to your airforce for a long time, I know your crews have kept the aircraft you currently have in spotless condition.

Quoting OD720 (Reply 3): Does the RJAF have the AMRAAM in its inventory or do they still rely on the AIM-7 Sparrow?

Jordan did get or is getting 50 AIM-120s after approval from the USA. Israel obviously tried to block the deal citing that this will create precedence (i.e fearing the Egyptian Air Force might get some too). AIM-9Ls..yes for sure.

Quoting OD720 (Reply 3): I also would like to know about the AA and A2G armament of the Mirage F.1.

From what I know (I also asked some ex-Mirage pilots), there is definately the Super 530 and the Magic 550 for air-air. For ground attack, the Es have Matra 155 rocket launchers, 500KGs GP bombs as well as Beluga cluster dispenser. I'm hoping to hear more hopefully soon. I'm also trying to find out if the plentifull AIM-9Ps are being used as well.

I have seen the F-1 many times in local airshows (SOFEX) and some fly-pasts such as Independence day etc.. I have a pic somewhere with me and my friend in front of an F-1C in 1984. Will find it and post.

Jordan is now looking to have an all F-16 fleet, up to 175 aircraft I'm told. Of course, the US remains a major supporter of Jordan (with about USD 350M annually in aid) and the Air force gets its share of the pie as well. Jordan as you're aware is a poor country when it comes to natural resources (no oil). For example, the Mirage F-1s which were procured in the early eighties (17 Es, 17Cs and 2 B's - and a few have been lost to accidents) were wholly financed by Saudi Arabia (One F-1B by the way was purchased from Spain in 2006). During the same period, the Saudis also paid for the construction of a major airbase in Al-Azraq - close to the Iraqi border (which houses today all of RJAF's F-16s and Mirage F-1s). The H-5 and the Jafr airbases are purely equipped with F-5s. The Azraq airbase was named Shaheed Muwafaq Salti AB ( in honor of a Jordanian Hunter pilot who was shot down by a Mirage IIIC in 1966 over Samu village in Jordan). So, I will be interested to see how the RJAF will maintain its sizable F-16 fleet. From Wvsuperhornet's comments, it looks like they will  

Quoting OD720 (Reply 3): What about the CASA trainers, any plans to replace them or are they happy with them for the time being?

I've asked around Vatche...and i think these Chilean built machines will soldier on for some time. They were procured in the mid-eighties so they are not that old..please check King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq on Google earth (close to the Syrian border) where 6 C-101s are shown on the runway most probably preparing for a formation take off!

Quoting Hunterson (Reply 4): Many congratulations on the new Fighting Falcons

Thanks Hunterson...but I truly believe that Jordan (like Lebanon) do not need hot roadsters like F-16s etc.. I sincerely beleive that when it comes to air power, Jordan and Lebaonon face the same challenges. Lets be frank, I seriously don''t see RJAF aircraft engaging their traditional enemy. You cannot compare the military hardware. In simple terms, a well used Block 15 F-16A (regardless of how many upgrades) will not do much against a well organized, numerically and technologically superior, powerful and experienced Israeli air force. I do not believe that Jordan will ever enter into a war with Israel (we all know the odds) and not even Syria or Iraq. So are we going to use these fancy F-16s just for Indipendence day fly-pasts or against a stray Cessna 152? I believe Jordan (like Lebanon) faces more danger from within. An F-16 will not help much with religious zealots who one day might (and I pray that they will never do) create havoc in Jordan. PC-9s with teeth are more like what is needed. Ask the Lebanese army who had to use their ingenuity to equip Bell helicopters with bombs to defeat hard lined terrorist in the north.

Quoting Walter2222 (Reply 5): Take care of them, we will miss them here!

Thanks Walter for the excellent pics / effort. I'm sure they will not bake in the desert sun..each one will have its own hardened shelter (at least this is what I have been told). Jordan is politically a sensitive country, and unfortunately I can't just pick up my camera and visit an airbase. I'm sure, the beautiful ex-BAF and ex-KLU machines will appear on the net shortly. Please visit the RJAF group on Facebook where you might end up seeing these aircraft in their desert environment..hopefully shortly.

Cheers to all from Amman.

RJAF

Dear RJAF,
While I agree with a lot of what you say, I still believe that a strong and credible defence posture is essential for any country ( especially a small country such as Jordan, and indeed Lebanon ) to safeguard and defend its independence and sovereignty. I still remember the days when some people and politicians used to say that the "strength of Lebanon lies in its weakness " (sic). Of course we can all look back now and see where that foolish policy led the country.
Any nation, in my opinion has to have the means to defend itself. And in order to achieve that in the face of the multitude of threats we face these days , that nation must have a wide spectrum of capabilities stretching from the high end of the scale, down to the lower levels of low intensity warfare.
The F-16s might not be very useful against a bunch of Islamist terrorists, I agree, but they would be very important indeed in deterring whichever regional power which might be trying to exploit their activities and destabilize the country to its own advantage.
You are absolutely right about Jordan not having to fight Israel ( and thank God for that ) anytime in the forseeable future, and hopefully never again. But, unfortunately, that is not the end of the story, and in our part of the world, it never is. The threats remain, at all levels, and while some PC-9s or Super Tucanos armed for COIN duties are always a great idea, probably augmented by a few Cobras or Apaches, it remains vital, in my view. to have a more credible deterrence capability, against potential external threats which will always be there.
My friend, let us remember the experience and lessons of 1970-71, when thanks to the superior training, motivation and professionalism of the Jordanian Army and the RJAF, the country was saved from a fate which would have been very similar to that which plagued Lebanon a few years later.
One thing which I and many others always admired about Jordan and its armed forces is how you always managed to use your meagre resources to the best possible effect, turning your armed forces, and your air force in particular into the envy of many in the region with vastly bigger resources in money and manpower.
I pray to God that you keep that hnourable tradition, and I just hope that one day, the Lebanese would follow your example and unite to defend their country as resolutely as you do.
Enjoy your Fighting Falcons and use tham well. You have every right to be proud of them and the brave men and women who operate them.