Shaheed Mwaffaq Air Base
Encyclopedia
Shaheed Mwaffaq Air Base (Arabic قاعدة الشهيد موفق السلطي الجوية) is a Royal Jordanian Air Force
base located in Azraq, Zarqa Governorate
.
In 1976, this area was chosen by the Royal Jordanian Air Force
for a major new air base. Construction started in that year. In November, 1980 No 1 (F5As and Bs) and No 11 squadrons (F5Es and Fs) were deployed.
The air base was officially opened on May 24, 1981 and named after Lieutenant Muwaffaq Salti who died in battle with the Israelis on November 13, 1966. It was the home of Nos 1 and 25 Mirage squadrons but since 1997 Nos 1 and 2 Mirage and F16 squadrons have been based there.
Royal Jordanian Air Force
The Royal Jordanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces.-Early days:...
base located in Azraq, Zarqa Governorate
Zarqa Governorate
Zarqa Governorate is the third largest governorate in Jordan by population. The capital of Zarqa governorate is Zarqa City, which is the largest city in the governorate. It is located 25 km east of the Jordanian capital Amman...
.
History
In 1918, during World War I, T.E. Lawrence (also known as Lawrence of Arabia) used the historic castle in Azraq and the plains at that site as a base for use as a landing ground for the aircraft which were supporting the column pushing north towards Syria. The main qualities of the area were its good visibility and fine weather for flying.In 1976, this area was chosen by the Royal Jordanian Air Force
Royal Jordanian Air Force
The Royal Jordanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces.-Early days:...
for a major new air base. Construction started in that year. In November, 1980 No 1 (F5As and Bs) and No 11 squadrons (F5Es and Fs) were deployed.
The air base was officially opened on May 24, 1981 and named after Lieutenant Muwaffaq Salti who died in battle with the Israelis on November 13, 1966. It was the home of Nos 1 and 25 Mirage squadrons but since 1997 Nos 1 and 2 Mirage and F16 squadrons have been based there.
Naming
The airbase is named after First Lieutenant Muwaffaq Salti. Who was a Jordanian pilot killed in combat on 13 November 1966 over Hebron during Battle of SamouSamu Incident
The Samu incident refers to events on November 13, 1966 involving an Israeli military attack on the Jordanian-controlled West Bank village of Samu in response to Fatah raids against Israelis near the West Bank border...
See Also
- H-4 Air BaseH-4 Air BaseH-4 Air Base is a Royal Jordanian Air Force base located near Ruwaished in Mafraq Governorate, Jordan....
- Azraq
- Zarqa GovernorateZarqa GovernorateZarqa Governorate is the third largest governorate in Jordan by population. The capital of Zarqa governorate is Zarqa City, which is the largest city in the governorate. It is located 25 km east of the Jordanian capital Amman...
- Royal Jordanian Air ForceRoyal Jordanian Air ForceThe Royal Jordanian Air Force is the air force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces.-Early days:...