Sale of sixteen new F-16s to Jordan approved

The long-awaited order for the Lockheed-Martin F-16 Block 70 for the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) is finally here! The Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) published the announcement of a possible order on 3 February 2022.

If the order is executed, it will consist of twelve F-16C Block 70 and four dual-seat F-16D Block 70 Fighting Falcons. The Foreign Military Sales-provided (FMS) aircraft and associated equipment are valued at USD4,21 billion.

The deal also includes spare F100-GE-129D or F100-PW229EEP engines, AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR), six AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP), Link 16 Low-Volume Terminals (for aircraft and ground stations), among others, and a range of provisions for armament.

They will be fitted with the AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR) and will be capable to launch precision munitions like the GBU-53 and GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) as well as the Paveway II GBU-10 and the Enhanced Paveway II (EP II) EGBU-49. In the Electronic Warfare area, they will be fitted with the AN/ALQ-254 Viper Shield or equivalent Integrated Electronic Warfare (EW) systems and the AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispenser Systems (CMDS), among others.

The RJAF currently operates former Belgische Luchtmacht (Belgian Air Component, Belgian Air Force) and Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu, Royal Netherlands Air Force) F-16AM/BM fighters and a small number of Peace Falcon II aircraft, totaling to some fifty aircraft of which approximately thirty are serviceable and form 1st Squadron, 2nd Squadron and 6th Squadron at As Shaheed Muwaffaq al Salti AB (Al Azraq).

A summary of the F-16 deliveries to the RJAF:

Peace Falcon I: sixteen former USAF and Air National Guard F-16 ADF aircraft (twelve A and four B models) taken from storage at Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) at Davis Monthan AFB and delivered between December 1997 and February 1998. Thirteen were transferred to Pakistan in 2014 (nine A and four B models).
Peace Falcon II: seventeen former USAF and Air National Guard F-16 ADF aircraft (twelve A and five B models) delivered in 2003. They were subsequently upgraded to MLU standard M3, jointly by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) and RJAF’s MLU technical team during 2008/2012.
Peace Falcon III: sixteen former Belgian Air Component MLU F-16s (twelve AM and four BM models), delivered in 2009 which had the Mid-Life Update (MLU) Operational Flight Program (OFP) M2 standard.
Peace Falcon IV: six former KLu MLU M2 F-16BM delivered in 2009.
Peace Falcon V: nine former Belgian Air Component M2 MLU F-16s (six AM and three BM models), all of which were delivered in July of 2011.
Peace Falcon VI: fifteen former KLu MLU F-16s (thirteen AM and two BM models), delivered between October and December 2017 which were all brought to the M6.5 standard prior to delivery.

Most of the M3-models as well as a small number of M2-models are for sale since February 2016.

Photos by Marco Dijkshoorn, image by Lockheed Martin