AFSOC helping Jordan to build up AT-802 light strike turboprop capabilities
The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) is currently aiding the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) in building up the capabilities of its IOMAX AT-802 Block 1 Border Patrol Aircraft (BPA) force, it was recently disclosed.
An image released by the Air Force Reserve Command on 19 April shows maintainers from the 711th Special Operations Squadron (the reserve component of AFSOC's 6th Special Operations Squadron [Aviation Foreign Internal Defense]) supporting an IOMAX AT-802 Block 1 BPA of "an allied force" on a deployed operation in March.
A source has confirmed to
IHS Jane's that the image was taken in Jordan and that the 6th Special Operations Squadron (SOS), which is tasked with assessing, training, advising, and assisting foreign nation aviation forces worldwide, is helping to train Jordanian pilots on the aircraft also. As the mission integrator, IOMAX is working closely with AFSOC to first train the 6th SOS's pilots on the aircraft and weapons systems before that special operations unit passes on this knowledge to the RJAF.
The Jordanians were gifted six AT-802 BPA Block 1 aircraft by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2013. These aircraft were delivered to RJAF with a fully functional laser guided weapons capability; however, they were limited to GBU-58 (250 lb) precision-guided munitions (PGMs) and AGM-114 Hellfire missiles due to wing pylon weight limitations. The RJAF is currently working with the UAE and IOMAX to upgrade the six Block 2 BPAs to Block 2 standard, enabling them to carry GBU-12 (500 lb) PGMs and Cirit laser-guided rockets as well.
Further to the six IOMAX AT-802s, the RJAF has also received four AT-802Us that have instead been built by Air Tractor and L-3 Communications. These aircraft were part of a US government programme destined for Yemen, and were never delivered.
It should be noted that, while both are built around a common platform and so look much the same on the outside, the Air Tractor/L-3 Communications and IOMAX platforms are very different in terms of their internal make-up and systems.
