Jordan accepts pair of ex-USAF Hercules
Royal Jordanian Air Force C-130 Hercules being towed out at Muniz Air National Guard Base in Puerto Rico. (Photo: USAF/Master Sgt Thomas Ramirez)
A third C-130 will be transferred to the Royal Jordanian Air Force in January 2022 under the C-130 Ramp-to-Ramp programme.
The US embassy in Jordan announced on 9 December that two C-130 Hercules transport aircraft have been accepted by the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) under the global Ramp-to-Ramp (R2R) programme, with a third to follow in January 2022.
All three aircraft have received recent equipment updates and upgraded interoperable avionics before their integration into the RJAF fleet.
After they are delivered, the USAF Mobile Training Team will provide basic and advanced training of Jordanian aircrew and maintenance crews.
‘The transfer of these mission-ready aircraft comes as part of a US Congressional mandate to cap the size of the USAF C-130 fleet,’ the US embassy noted, adding that the C-130 R2R programme is the first USAF programme to transfer fully active and functional assets to ‘key security partners around the world’.
Eight C-130s have been transferred to date under R2R since the first aircraft in April 2021.
Jordan currently operates three C-130Es and four C-130Hs, so the arrival of the ex-USAF C-130 aircraft boosts the RJAF fixed-wing tactical airlift fleet by nearly 50%. It will also save RJAF approximately $30 million in equipment renovation costs, the US embassy calculated.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Air Warfare
-
![Elbit Systems discloses Iron Beam update and work on laser solution for IAF]()
Elbit Systems discloses Iron Beam update and work on laser solution for IAF
In its Q2 earnings call, the company said it has internal targets set for similar double-digit growth for 2026, as it welcomed a 21% boost in 2025 profits so far compared to 2024.
-
![Poland confirms US$3.8 billion F-16V upgrade]()
Poland confirms US$3.8 billion F-16V upgrade
The Mid-Life Upgrade agreement comes as Poland makes significant increases in its defence spend as its plans to increase it to 5% of GDP by 2026.
-
![How unconventional warfare demands are changing the CUAS and drone development landscape]()
How unconventional warfare demands are changing the CUAS and drone development landscape
The use of drones in unconventional ways is accelerating technological advances and countermeasures as military planners try to stay ahead of the drone revolution in military affairs.
-
![Applied Intuition takes aim at major air combat programmes with UK expansion]()
Applied Intuition takes aim at major air combat programmes with UK expansion
The autonomous software company’s new UK subsidiary is the latest in a line of businesses poised to expand and offer its services to the UK Ministry of Defence and industry, as the country invests more in AI and autonomous technology to deliver the next generation of uncrewed systems.
-
![British Army seeks ACP to pair with Apache AH-64E helicopter]()
British Army seeks ACP to pair with Apache AH-64E helicopter
The event notice to find this ACP solution will see a series of workshops run to assess problems sets for the wider Land Autonomous Collaborative Platform (LACP) programme.
-
![Anduril expands footprint in South Korea]()
Anduril expands footprint in South Korea
The US firm has signed agreements with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HII) and Korean Air to develop defence products for the South Korean market as well as license existing Anduril products for use and export to the region.
