SpaceWar.com - Your World At War
Jordan gets more US Black Hawks to bolster defences
Zarqa, Jordan, Jan 28 (AFP) Jan 28, 2018
The United States delivered another two Black Hawk helicopters to key Arab ally Jordan on Sunday to help protect the kingdom's borders and counter the threat from jihadists.

The helicopters were handed over at the King Abdullah II Air Base in northeast Jordan.

They were the last batch of 12 Black Hawks delivered to Jordan since March 2017.

An American embassy statement said the aircraft "will strengthen the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF), its Quick Reaction Force and Jordan's security".

"The United States is committed to supporting the JAF's efforts to protect Jordan's borders, counter-terrorism, assist in civil defence operations, and defeat ISIS through the international coalition," it said, using an acronym for the Islamic State group.

Jordan is a key recipient of American financial aid and a partner in the US-led coalition battling the jihadists in neighbouring Syria and Iraq.

"The United States and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan have a historic and enduring relationship, built on shared values and shared interests," said US embassy charge d'affaires Henry Wooster.

"Our military partnership epitomises our mutual goals for a secure and stable region.

"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."

Wooster attended the ceremony with US Central Command chief General Joseph Votel and King Abdullah's brother, Prince Faisal bin Hussein.

Black Hawks overflew the base while the Jordanian armed forces conducted a live fire and infiltration demonstration.

Last year, the United States allocated $470 million to Jordan's army and air force, the American embassy said.

This included pilot and maintenance training, spares, ground equipment, weapons, ammunition and shelters for the Black Hawks, it added.

Three years ago, Washington said it would increase overall US assistance to Jordan from $660 million to $1 billion annually for between 2015 and 2017.

Planning Minister Imad al-Fakhoury said in December that US economic aid to Jordan in 2017 was around $812 million.


ADVERTISEMENT




Space News from SpaceDaily.com
Lunar dust poses lower health risk than urban air pollution study shows
Macron says Europe must become 'space power' again
NASA raises chance for asteroid to hit moon

24/7 Energy News Coverage
US urges China to keep Iran from shutting key trade route
Nuclearn Deploys Gamma2 AI to Revolutionize Nuclear Plant Operations
Tesla to build first grid-scale power plant in China

Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
Israel targets Iran Guards, Tehran prison in fresh wave of strikes
Israel says struck to 'obstruct access routes' to Iran's Fordo
IAEA seeks access to Iran nuclear sites to 'account for' highly enriched uranium stockpiles

24/7 News Coverage
Iran opposition leaders say Khamenei must step down
EU plans to scrap anti-greenwashing rules after pushback
Study: Wars with Hamas and Iran pose health risks for all Israelis



All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.