File image.
On September 1, the French Ministry of Armed Forces announced that it had deployed an air-defense detachment armed with a SAMP/T MAMBA medium-range system in a “temporary air base” in Jordan in the framework of Opération Chammal.
Launched on 19 September 2014, Opération Chammal represents France’s contribution to the US-led Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) against ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
In a statement, the French ministry said that this is the first time the MAMBA air-defense system was deployed outside French territory without clarifying in which Jordanian air base it was installed. French warplanes operate mainly from two air bases in Jordan, Prince Hassan Air Base and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.
The French Ministry of Defense shared photos of the Aster 30 SAMP/T Mamba surface-to-air defense missile system deployed since August to the French Air Force base in Jordan (BAP) for the first time.https://t.co/cqAUES5xIA pic.twitter.com/GAHYMOL7CJ
— Tom Antonov (@Tom_Antonov) September 1, 2021
According to the Ministry of Armed Forces, during the deployment in Jordan the system will be operated in harsh weather conditions and tested on a daily basis.
“The aim is to test MAMBA’s interception and engagement capabilities, in complex scenarios, and to test its interoperability with allied assets,” the ministry’s statement reads.
The MAMBA system, which is armed with Aster-30 interceptors, was developed by the France-based Eurosam to counter an array of airborne threats including manned and unmanned aircraft with a range of 60 km.
The air-defense system is built around a modified version of THALES’s ARABEL multifunction fire control, X band long-range radar.
The deployment of the MAMBA system in Jordan is a sign of the growing threats facing the US and its allies in the Middle East. In a recent interview with the CNN, King Abdullah II revealed that Iranian forces attacked Jordan with drones on several occasions over the past year.
