Jordan Officially Orders 12 F-16 Viper Fighter Jets Worth US$4.2 Billion
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After further negotiations, the Kingdom of Jordan finally returned to its original plan, namely by purchasing 12 F-16 Block 70 Viper fighter jets produced by Lockheed Martin.
Previously in June 2022, the Government of Jordan had signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for the purchase of eight new F-16 Block 70 Viper fighter jets.
On February 3, 2022, the Government of Jordan submitted a request to Washington to purchase 12 F-16C Block 70 units; 4 units of F-16D Block 70; 21 F100-GE-129D engines or F100-PW229EEP engines; 21 Improved Programmable Display Generators (iPDG); 21 AN/APG-83 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radars Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR); 21 Modular Mission Computer (MMC) 7000AH ; 6 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP).
Quoted from Breaking Defense, the Royal Jordanian Air Force Command (RJAF) has signed an agreement to purchase 12 F-16 Block 70 Viper fighter jets along with an arms and logistics package worth US$4.21 billion. With the deal already in progress, it is estimated that Jordan will receive its first F-16 Viper unit in 2027.
As announced by the official website of the Jordanian armed forces, the deal was signed last Thursday by the Commander of the Royal Air Force Brigadier General Pilot Muhammad Fathi Hiasat and the US Deputy Head of Mission in Amman Rohit Nepal.
The Royal Jordanian Air Force currently operates a total of 64 F-16A/Bs, 16 of which are ADF, while the remaining 39 are MLU or modified to MLU standard (mid life update) with an average age of 38.2 years.
The F-16 Block 70/72 Viper is the most advanced F-16 configuration that incorporates new capabilities and structural enhancements to ensure the fighter can operate until at least 2060.
These upgrades increase the structural lifespan of the new configuration by 50 percent when compared to the previous F-16 generation. The F-16 Viper offers a service life of 12,000 hours and interoperability with allied fighters in NATO.
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