Prince Hassan Air Base Explained

Prince Hassan Air Base
Ensign:	Air Force Ensign of Jordan.svg
Ensign Size:	90px
Native Name:	قاعدة الأمير حسن الجوية
Nearest Town:	Safawi, Mafraq Governorate
Country:	Jordan
Pushpin Map:	Jordan
Pushpin Label:	Prince Hassan Air Base
Pushpin Map Caption:	Shown within Jordan
Type:	Air Base
Operator:	Royal Jordanian Air Force
Built:	–69
Used:	1969–present
Elevation:	2210feet
Icao:	OJPH
R1-Number:	13/31
R1-Length:	3000m (10,000feet)
R1-Surface:	Asphalt/Concrete
Footnotes:	Sources: AMC Form 174

Prince Hassan Air Base (;^{[1] [2]} Arabic: قاعدة الأمير حسن الجوية; formerly H-5) is a Royal Jordanian Air Force base, located near the town of Safawi, Mafraq Governorate, Jordan, 72.4miles east-northeast of the country's capital Amman.

History

The airfield was established as a landing strip associated with the Kirkuk–Haifa oil pipeline's H-5 pumping station, being used by Royal Air Force and Iraq Petroleum Company mail aircraft operating between Baghdad, Amman, and Cairo.^[3]

In 1969, the airfield was opened as a military base, being named after Prince Hassan bin Talal, then Crown Prince of Jordan. No. 9 Squadron RJAF was established at the base, operating Lockheed F-104A/B Starfighters.

In 1994, the Fighter Weapons Instructor School was moved to the base.

No. 6 Fighter Reconnaissance Squadron RJAF has been based at the airfield in the past, but has since moved to Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.

Current use

As of 2015, No. 17 Squadron RJAF with Northrop F-5E/F Tiger IIs was stationed at the base.^[4]

The United States Air Force has used the base occasionally since the 1980s, with a 2017 report noting that U.S. Air Force C-17s are transiting the airfield regularly.^[5]

The French Air and Space Force has been using Prince Hassan Air Base as a base of operation since 2014, deploying six Mirage 2000 fighter jets there, which were replaced in 2017 by four Rafales.^{[6] [7]}

References

Sources

Notes and References

1. Book: Aerodrome Booklet Middle East Air Exercise Program Oman. No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit. 2020. RAF Northholt. 84.
2. Web site: 2020-07-16 . AIP Jordan Supplement 2/20, Location Indicators . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231110215710/https://carc.gov.jo/images/AIS/AIP_SUPPLEMENT/AIPSUP2-20.pdf . 2023-11-10 . 2023-11-10 . Jordan Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission . en.
3. Web site: Prince Hassan Air Base . 2024-02-23 . . en.
4. Web site: Armed Forces Overviews – Royal Jordanian Air Force . deviated . https://web.archive.org/web/20150507180721/http://www.scramble.nl/orbats/jordan/airforce . 2015-05-07 . 9 December 2015 . Scramble.

5. "US Air Force C-17 aircraft are already transiting the airfield on a regular basis."

6. Book: Fayet . Eloïse . What Strategic Posture Should France Adopt in the Middle East? . November 2022 . IFRI . 28 .
7. The Military Balance 2024 . International Institute for Strategic Studies . 2024 . . 365 . 9781032780047 . 0459-7222 . International Institute for Strategic Studies . Wall . Robert.