The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) (Al Quwwat al-Jawwiya Almalakiya al-Urduniya in Arabic) is the Aviation branch of the Jordanian armed forces.

History

Jordan achieved indepdence in 1920. But it wasn't until 1931 that any air bases were actually set up, and these were set up by and for the Royal Air Force. By 1950, Jordan began to develop a small air arm consisting of a eclectic mix of aircraft. This force 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 as well. 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.

With the advent of the 1960s, the RJAF had a fleet of Hawker Hunters in the fighter role, and a number of different cargo planes and helicopters used in the transport role. 1964 brought the RJAF's first victory in the air. In what is known as the Battle of the Dead Sea, four Hawker Hunters shot down one Israeli Mirage and damaged three others.

The 1970s had the RJAF greatly modernized. F-104 Starfighters had been acquired from the United States following heavy losses in the Six-Day War. The RJAF also acquired F-5s from Iran which had gotten them from the United States. T-37 Tweets were also acquired for the training role. In 1977, the RJAF turned over its entire fleet of Hawker Hunters to the Royal Omani 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 Dassault Mirage F1 which became the RJAF's frontline fighter.

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 also the most advanced aircraft in the Air Force. The RJAF plans to acquire more of these airplanes in order to keep its fleet modernized and combat ready.

The current 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

• F-5 Freedom Fighter
• Dassault Mirage F1
• F-16 Fighting Falcon
• UH-1 Iroquois
• AH-1 Cobra
• CASA C-101

Markings

The roundel of the RJAF consists of 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.

External Links

• Official Site of the Royal Jordanian Air Force
• Royal Jordanian Airforce courtesy of Scramble.nl

See also

List of air forces