Royal Jordanian Air Force takes delivery of five new Bell 505 aircraft at Farnborough
Bell 505 aircraft have been widely used as rotorcraft training vehicles. (Photo: Bell Textron Inc.)
The five helicopters complete an order of 10 Bell 505s placed in 2022.
BellTextron Inc. delivered five new Bell 505 helicopters to the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) at the Farnborough International Airshow 2024.
The Crown Prince of Jordan ordered 10 of the 505s in 2022, to help train the next generation of Jordan’s pilots, and the completion of the order coincided with the graduation of the country’s latest cohort of cadets.
The Bell 505 is a light and versatile aircraft which in the seven years since it was first offered for commercial sale has been put to use in a range of environments, from law enforcement to personal transportation to logistics, although its most regular fit has been as a training vehicle. The aircraft features a fully integrated Garmin G1000HNXi avionics suite and a Safran Arrius 2R engine with dual-channel FADEC, which the company believes has helped sell it to organisations that need to train helicopter pilots thoroughly but relatively fast.
That was always the plan with the RJAF Bell 505s. When the order for the 10 aircraft was placed in 2022, they were intended to begin a new era in rotorcraft training for the air force. The first five helicopters were delivered to King Hussein Air College in Mafraq, Jordan, in November 2023 and have been used for pilot training ever since.
The second contingent of five is expected to join the first, boosting the country’s ability to train helicopter pilots and adding to its arsenal.
Brigadier General Mohammad F. Hiyasat, commander of the Royal Jordanian Air Force, said: “The delivery of the final Bell 505 helicopters represents a major milestone in our training programme. These aircraft provide our cadets with the best possible training platform, ensuring they are well-prepared for future challenges.”
The Royal Jordanian Air Force currently has around 14,000 active personnel and in the last decade has been a particularly useful ally to the US Air Force in the region. It has helped US forces deliver air strikes against ISIS targets in 2015 and as recently as February 2024, the RJAF aided US airstrikes against Iranian assets believed to have been involved in the Tower 22 drone attack, the first time US soldiers were killed since the beginning of the Israel–Gaza conflict.
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