The Royal Jordanian Air Force was born in 1948 as the Arab Legion Air Force, using British-supplied aircraft and organized along RAF lines. Links with Britain were loosened considerably in the wake of the 1956 Anglo-French Suez operation when Jordan became more aligned with its Arab neighbours, although relations with Iraq cooled following the murder of the Iraqi Royal Family. The USA funded a Jordanian Hawker Hunter purchase, and later oversaw the F-104A Starfighters from Taiwan under a Mutual Defense Assistance Program in 1967. Having been the only nation to hold territory (and even make gains) against Israel in 1948, Jordan was a priority target when Israel launched the Six Day War against its Arab neighbours in 1967. The war began with with pre-emptive and unprovoked airstrikes, which virtually destroyed the RJAF on the ground. Losses in the 1967 war were made up by transfers of Hunters from Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Large numbers of F-5Es entered service from 1972, and they remain numerically the most important type in the inventory.

US refusals to supply F-16s or A-4s prompted the RJAF to turn to Dassault for an eventual total of 36 Mirage F1s, delivered in 1981-1982. Generally pro-Western and politically moderate, Jordan remained neutral during the Gulf War in 1991 and maintains closer links with Israel than do most of its Arab neighbours.It has tradionally relied on Saudi funding for many of its defense purchases, though this has dwindled in recent year. As a result, some re-equipment programs have failed and the country's armed forces have become the operators of increasingly obsolete equipment, and have failed to keep up with either allies or potential enemies.

The failure of allies to fulfill their funding obligations led to the cancellation of Jordanian orders for both the Mirage 2000 and the Panavia Tornado. While it lacks the most modern combat aircraft, the RJAF is exceptionally well trained and keeps abreast of the latest tactical developments, making it a tougher opponent  than many-equipped air forces.Jordan signed a formal peace treaty with Israel in October 1994, opening the way to a resumption of unlimited US aid. The first products of the new MDAP included 18 surplus Bell UH-1H helicopters, delivered in December 1994, followed by another 18 in 1996 and a C-130H in March 1997.

Most significantly, the resumption of US aid has finally allowed the delivery of 12 surplus ex-USAF F-16As and 4 F-16Bs to replace the elderly Mirage F1CJs in the air-defence role.But these aircraft all had high time airframes and had been put through the Falcon-Up/Service Life Improvement program, but they were among the oldest F-16 variants still in service and no longer represent the 'cutting edge' of Jordanian air defense. Today Jordan has a $7 billion long-term military re-equipment requirement , which as far as the RJAF is concerned focused on the need to replace its 55 F-5E/Fs and 31 Dassault Mirage F1s. The preferred choice is for around 70-80 F-16s.

Aircraft of the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) :

In July 1996 a $220 million agreement was signed known as the F-16 Peace Falcon Program between the United States and Jordan authorizing the lease of 16 F-16 fighter jets , 12 F-16A  and 4 F-16B aircraft which were Block 15 OCU aircraft that were modified into ADF (Air Defense Fighters) versions for Jordan. The Royal Jordanian Air Force took official delivery of its first F-16 aircraft in rollout ceremonies at Hill Air Force Base, Utah on October 28th 1997. The first four RJAF Fighting Falcons touched down at Muafaq Al-Salti Air Base on 17 December of that same year. The last three F-16s arrived in March 1998. Jordan became the 19th country to operate the Fighting Falcon, and one of five in the Middle East that fly the F-16. The RJAF aircraft made its first flight on October 14 following refurbishment by U.S. Air Force personnel at Hill AFB. It is a Block 15 model F-16 Air Defense Fighter taken from the USAF inventory. They were given a service life improvement program known as Falcon-UP, a structural modification program that expands the service life of the airframe to 8,000 hours.The aircraft was also modified to accept the upgraded Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220E engine, featuring improved reliability.More than 100 RJAF maintainers and eight pilots have received training in the United States in recent months. Training will continue in the Kingdom of Jordan. Eventually, The RJAF would like to acquire as much as 70-80 F-16s (if possible C/D models).

	Dappa ''Jordanian AF desert defenders''
	F-16.Net
	RJAF Official Homepage
	Exotic Plane Pictures