Page 63 - Royal Jordanian Air Force Book

WHERE WE ARE NOW AIR BASES

AIR DEFENSE

Part of that plan has already taken place, when
Vulcan and Cheetah platoons were merged and
all are now mixed anti-aircraft units that can
provide the needed fire coverage, while the door
is open to reactivate the cancelled units to fill any
gaps in case the regional situation requires so.

Royal Jordanian Air Defense, which is part of the Some air defense group commands that were
RJAF, is equipped with surface-to-air missiles, disengaged from the directorate were returned
anti-aircraft guns and radar stations, as well as a under the directorate's jurisdiction, including
modern electronic warfare center and electronic Group 3, which was affiliated with the Jafr-based
countermeasure which is linked to command, King Faisal Group, formerly King Faisal Base.
communication and control (C3) centers. Another is Group 1, which was affiliated with the
Prince Hassan Group, formerly base, in Safawi.
The Air Defense Directorate is one of the main
operational components of the RJAF. It comprises All groups are equipped with PIP3 Hawk missile
four main groups distributed in areas where systems and mixed anti-aircraft platoons, while
RJAF bases are located, in addition to other vital there is an Igla missile unit stationed at the air
and strategic locations in the Kingdom, as its defense command, which can provide all groups
mandate is to defend these places, which include and units with troops armed with this weapon, a
the capital, Amman. Russian-made man-portable and truck-mounted
twin version, infrared homing surface-to-air
missile for close defense.

The Directorate was established in 1975 and was
equipped with the Hawk missile system, which
underwent several to upgrades PIP1, PIP2 and
PIP3, with the most recent completed in 2001.

The Directorate used to consist of 15 Hawk
missile units and 11 anti-aircraft platoons.
The arsenal has been subject to changes. The
latest was in 2015, when the Gepard (cheetah)
self-propelled, anti-aircraft gun was introduced
and, consequently, six cheetah platoons were
formed.

In 2017 - 2018, a restructuring plan was
implemented leading to the cancellation of some
units affiliated with the directorate, with the aim
of ensuring flexibility in the technical support
process. However, plans have been in place to
re-open these units in more sensitive locations,
depending on developments in the region and
the nature of threats.

62 ROYAL JORDANIAN AIR FORCE