US delivers 12 Black Hawk helicopters to Jordan
Amman : The Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) on Sunday officially received the final shipment of new Black Hawk helicopters from the United States, bringing the total number to 12 of all aircraft received over the last nine months, the US Embassy in Amman said.
The helicopters will strengthen the JAF, its Quick Reaction Force (QRF), and Jordan’s security, said the embassy in a statement to the press.
Prince Faisal bin Hussein presided over the aircraft delivery ceremony, with Charge d’Affaires of US Embassy Henry Wooster and Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of the US Central Command, representing the United States.
“The US and the Kingdom of Jordan have a historic and enduring relationship, built on shared values and shared interests. Our military partnership epitomizes our mutual goals for a secure and stable region,” said Wooster at the ceremony.
“Today’s ceremony marks the beginning of a new JAF capability in the form of a state-of-the-art UH-60 Black Hawk fleet,” he added.
The US Congress appropriated $470 million in 2017 to the JAF and the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF), including training for pilots, crew chiefs and maintenance technicians, as well as spare parts, ground equipment, weapons, ammunition and shelters for the Black Hawks.
—AB/UNA-OIC