Jordan requests F-16 combat training centre

The US State Department has approved an FMS package to Jordan, worth about $60 million, for an F-16 air combat training centre and related equipment.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification on 11 February to notify Congress of this possible sale.

Systems to be supplied by Lockheed Martin Rotary & Mission Systems will include full mission trainers, combat tactics trainers, instructor/operator stations, tactical environment simulators, brief/debrief stations, scenario generation stations, database generation stations and mission observation centres.

The contractor will also provide software, maintenance and spare parts, as well as in-country training support for two years.

‘The proposed sale will improve Jordan’s capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring Jordan’s pilots are effectively trained,’ the DSCA noted, ‘which will contribute to the US-Jordan lasting partnership and ensure the country’s stability, a critical element to broader US regional policy goals.’

According to Shephard Defence Insight, there are 47 F-16A/B aircraft in the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) fleet.

‘Jordan will have no difficulty absorbing these training centre assets and simulators into its armed forces,’  the DSCA stated.

This may be due to the existing training systems relationship between Lockheed Martin and the RJAF. In September 2016, the company received a $40 million contract to deliver a simulation-based F-16 aircraft training environment, including full mission trainers and combat tactics trainers. This equipment was delivered in 2018.