Israeli and Jordanian air force planes spotted flying together

The fleet was on the way to attend Red Flag, a military exercise at Nellis Air Force base in Nevada. The Jerusalem Post reported that for the US Air Force, Red Flag is the “premier air-to-air combat training exercise [that]…often includes both US and allied nations’ combat air forces.”

 

This undertaking could be another sign that indicates that Jerusalem and Amman have decided to step up their military and defense cooperation.

 

On July 23rd, Israel has gave retired US-supplied Cobra combat helicopters to Jordan to help the Hashemite Kingdom fend off insurgent threats on the Syrian and Iraqi borders, a US official with knowledge of the deal said.

 

The handover, initiated last year, was approved by Washington, which provided mechanical overhauls for the aircraft before they were incorporated free of charge in Jordan’s existing Cobra fleet, the official said.

 

“These choppers are for border security,” the official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, told Reuters.

 

Asked how many Cobras were transferred, the official said: “Around 16, though some may have been used by the Jordanians for spare parts” rather than kept intact.

 

Jordanian and Israeli officials declined comment, as did the Pentagon.

 

Originally, Israel had two Cobra squadrons – each consisting of about 30 of the aircraft, which are designed to back ground troops with aerial surveillance as well as machine gun and rocket fire, and to be nimble enough to elude surface-to-air missiles.

 

One of the squadrons was disbanded in the mid-2000s and the other in 2013, with Israel’s air force preferring the more powerful, US-supplied Apache helicopters also in its fleet and an expanded role for its thrifty and versatile pilotless drones.

 

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