King Faisal Air Base (; ) is a Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) 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.
In July 2026, five American troops were injured in an Iranian strike on the base.Jaffe, Greg; Barnes, Julian E.; and Swan, Jonathan. "Jordan Is Becoming a New Focus in the U.S.-Iran War", July 18, 2026. Accessed July 18, 2026. "The first attack to hit U.S. forces in Jordan struck a residential facility at King Faisal Air Base, wounding as many as five U.S. service members, they said."
Exercises
The base frequently hosts military exercises, a practice going back as far as the 1980s. Among the exercises that have been hosted at the base are Exercise Bright Star and Exercise Eager Lion.
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