The Royal Jordanian Air Force has received five of the 10 Bell 505 training helicopters it ordered in July 2022 for the King Hussein Air College in Mafraq, Jordan. The aircraft order includes flight training equipment and a full, computer-based training module on basic and advanced rotorcraft flight training, Bell said.
The five-seat aircraft flies with a Safran Arrius 2R engine and uses Garmin G1000H NXi avionics. Other countries using the Bell 505 training helicopter include the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and South Korea.
Patrick Moulay, Bell senior vice president for international commercial sales, said the company looks forward to outfitting the King Hussein Air College “with a full fleet of technologically advanced, dynamic aircraft that will enhance the armed forces’ operational readiness.”
According to Brig. Gen. Mohammad F. Hiyasat, Royal Jordanian Air Force commander, Bell’s deliveries mark the command’s operational expansion and capabilities growth.
The Bell AH-1Z advanced attack and reconnaissance helicopter is said to be next on Jordan’s wish list, alongside larger choppers such as the armed Blackhawk, Times Aerospace reported.
Jordan’s air force fleet currently includes Bell AH-1 Cobras, attack helicopters that the country began acquiring in 1985, including some surplus from the U.S. Army. Twelve Jordanian Cobras were upgraded in 2019, while up to 16 of the choppers were sold to Pakistan around 2011. In addition, Jordan has transferred several of its Bell Cobras to Kenya and the Philippines.