AMMAN – Jordan on Thursday (March 3) took delivery of eight Black Hawk helicopters provided by the United States as part of a $200 million grant to help it bolster its capabilities in the war against Islamic State (IS), officials said.
A further shipment of newly built U60 helicopters would begin arriving next year as part of a U.S. funded rapid deployment force the kingdom was setting up to strengthen its “counter terrorism” forces.
In a ceremony at the Amman Civil Airport, American ambassador to Jordan Alice G. Wells said Washington has continually supported its ally in the U.S. led coalition against Islamic State.
“The United States is supporting JAFS (Jordanian Armed Forces) efforts to protect Jordan’s borders, to deter aggression, to counter terrorism and to contribute to coalition operations. Since February 2015, the United States has expedited the delivery of more than 26,000 rifles and machine guns, more than 3 million rounds of small arms ammunition, hundreds of bombs and 5,000 night vision devices to support Jordan’s immediate operational requirements,” she said.
“These 8 UH-68 black hawk helicopters that you see behind me will provide Jordan with another tool for safeguarding its frontiers. The aircraft will enable Jordanian army quick reaction forces to rapidly deploy anywhere in the country,” she added.
U.S. officials say Jordan is a recipient of one of the largest amounts of foreign military financing with $450 million appropriated for fiscal year 2016.
Over $5 billion has been extended and being delivered in the coming years, a U.S. defense source said.
Jordan’s security services said on Wednesday they had thwarted a plot by sleeper cells of Islamic State militants to blow up civilian and military targets in the U.S.-allied Arab kingdom.
Since the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011 the U.S. has sent millions of dollars of aid to help Amman to beef up its border defense, funding an elaborate integrated border surveillance system that has stemmed cross border infiltration from Syria and Iraq.

Source: Reuters, 4 March 2016