Pentagon awards Jordan air force control system contract to Lockheed Martin
Fighters of the Royal Jordanian Air Force based at Shaheed Mwaffaq Airbase in Jordan. Photo – interkultur.de
Lockheed Martin announced it has been awarded a $26 million foreign military sales contract to modernise the Royal Jordanian Air Force’s national air command, control and communications infrastructure, by the US Air Force.
“Lockheed Martin will provide the Kingdom of Jordan with an integrated, real-time air picture across multiple command centers and many remote sites to better protect the country’s airspace, the company’s statement said. Analysts say American and British military experts have been helping Jordan to boost its military capacity amid concerns over a possible violent spillover from neighbouring Syria’s ongoing civil war.
The Maryland-based American defence giant said the system, known as Omnyx, will combine sensor, voice and data communications to provide interoperability throughout the Royal Jordanian Air Force and other elements of Jordan’s armed forces. The system will assist in detecting incoming air traffic and also provide the capabilities needed for airspace management, air sovereignty and air defense missions, the statement added.
“Omnyx serves as the backbone for information flow among command centers, enabling Jordanian military personnel to track and identify aircraft, evaluate any threats, and initiate or monitor airborne engagements,” said John Nikolai, director of C4 Systems for Lockheed Martin’s Mission Systems & Sensors business. “The system will provide enhanced situational awareness of Jordanian airspace at all times.”
The US Embassy in Amman on Thursday confirmed the development. Jordanian officials were not available for comment.
Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation’s net sales for 2011 were $46.5 billion, the company said on its website.
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