King Faisal Air Base (Jordan)
King Faisal Air Base is a Royal Jordanian Air Force installation near the town of Al-Jafr, Ma'an Governorate.
Name
The installation is named for King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, who financed the base's construction.History
Construction for the base began in 1974, with the first aircraft landing on 27 November 1980. The base was officially opened by King Hussein of Jordan on 24 June 1981.A 1983 report indicated that the base was used to assemble parts of Chinese Shenyang J-6 fighter aircraft for subsequent delivery to Iraq.
In 1987, Syrian president Hafez al-Assad and Iraqi president Saddam Hussein flew to the base to have a meeting in the nearby town Al-Jafr amidst the Iran–Iraq War.
In October 1996, the airfield was used by an Antonov An-124 to fly in the ThrustSSC jet car for testing in the desert near Al-Jafr.
On 4 November 2016, a Jordanian guard shot and killed three American soldiers and wounded another while they were returning to the base. The 39-year-old Jordanian assailant was sentenced to life in prison for the murders.