Featured:

What stood out at the special ops expo in Jordan?

Share:
  • Under unseasonably overcast skies and high winds, SOFEX carried on for three days from May 8-10 in Amman, Jordan. A bird’s eye view of the show captures a wide variety of air assets and law enforcement capability in the foreground. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Russia and China took the center ring at the exposition with Russia’s Mi-26 Halo being the undeniable star of the show. China’s CH-4 drone, that looks eerily like a Reaper UAS, sat next to Russia’s giant. Both are owned and operated by the Jordanian Air Force. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Defense News caught a glimpse of Jordan’s King Abdullah II (center with red tie) touring the Chinese pavilion at SOFEX. The Chinese pavilion consisted of just two booths this year. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Oshkosh Defense brought its Special Purpose All-Terrain vehicle to Jordan for the first time, but it was demonstrated for Middle Eastern countries several years ago. This time, the vehicle was armed with Fletcher, a new rocket launcher for combat vehicles. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Jordan’s Mi-26 Halo dwarfs a U.S. Marine Corps V-22 Osprey at SOFEX. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Hard to miss at SOFEX was the Rostvertol-manufactured Mil Mi-26T2 Halo cargo helicopter. Jordan has ordered four of the behemoth aircraft that each stand at 11.6 meters high and 40 meters long. Unlike the Boeing-made CH-47 Chinook cargo helicopters, it uses a single, massive eight-blade rotor system as well as a smaller tail rotor. The Jordanians use the aircraft for its firefighting mission. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • The Royal Jordanian Air Force displayed its PZL Mielec-Sikorsky M28 Skytruck utility transport aircraft. The Polish-made aircraft takes some of the burden off the C-130 Hercules fleet for smaller missions. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Taking more than inspiration from a crop duster, Jordan’s Iomax-Air Tractor AT-802i turboprop light-attack and surveillance aircraft made an appearance at SOFEX. Jordan is upgrading its six aircraft to carry more weapons after receiving them from the United Arab Emirates in 2015 as a gift. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Staring a Bell AH-1F Cobra in the face, the helicopter came to SOFEX with some upgrades. The Cobras were upgraded in Huntsville, Alabama, by Science and Engineering Services (SES) after winning the work through a competition. The upgrades include a new avionics suite from Northrop Grumman that is also going to be installed in the Victor-model Black Hawk and new countermeasure systems. This Cobra can also fire Hellfire missiles rather than the typical TOW missiles. (Photo by Jen Judson/Defense News staff)
  • Jordan not only showed off its L-model Black Hawks but also brought a newer Mike-model to SOFEX. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Produced through the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau, the Al-Mared is the largest armored personnel carrier in Jordan. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Jordan’s Al-Fares six-wheel drive special purpose armored vehicle is touted as suitable for combat, border security or logistics purposes, and it can act as a mobile command post. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • RUM II, developed by the King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau, incorporates a 155mm howitzer on the back and gives artillery units the ability to “shoot and scoot.” (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Jordan showcased an Al-Wahsh four-wheel drive vehicle with a self-propelled 105mm M102 gun on the back. Several of Jordan’s internally developed vehicles on the showroom floor showed an effort to increase mobile firepower. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Jordan’s new trainer made its debut at SOFEX this year based on the Grob G 120TP and the Pilatus PC-21 aircraft, shown. Several other Middle Eastern partners of the United States also have this trainer. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • Germany’s Rheinmetall brought its Marder IA3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle to SOFEX this year ― a refurbished and upgraded version ― to pitch it for potential sale to foreign customers. Chile and Indonesia have already purchased some of the vehicles, and Jordan is the latest customer. (Jen Judson/Staff)
  • While some companies with larger presence in the past scaled back this year at SOFEX, or didn’t attend at all, Pakistan caught the eye of show-goers with a very large booth in one of the international pavilions in an attempt to show the Middle East and the rest of the world how it’s trying to grow its own defense industry. (Jen Judson/Staff)