Jordan receives final Cheetah SPAAGs

[Zarvan]

A Cheetah is seen firing during training in Jordan. Source: Netherlands Ministry of Defence
A final instalment of 25 Cheetah self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAGs) has now arrived in Jordan.

Decommissioned by the Armed Forces of the Netherlands in 2006, the Cheetah (Gepard in German service) consists of a modified Leopard 1 tank hull armed with twin 35 mm Rheinmetall Air Defence (previously Oerlikon Contraves) guns and equipped with surveillance and tracking radars.

The Netherlands agreed to sell 60 Cheetahs to Jordan in 2013. At that time, the Dutch Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the deal also included training, 350,000 rounds of surplus ammunition, 22 Bofors 40L70 40 mm towed anti-aircraft guns, 11 Thales Flycatcher radars, 5 Leopard 1 armoured engineering vehicles, and 14 Leopard 1/Cheetah hulls for spares, conversion, or training.

The Dutch MoD announced in the latest issue of itsMaterieelgezien magazine that the final shipment of 25 Cheetahs had left the port of Eemshaven. It said 15 Cheetahs had already been delivered to the Royal Jordanian Air Force in 2014 and another 20 in 2015. It also released a video showing Cheetahs firing during training in Jordan.

The Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf released a video on 22 June showing the Cheetahs being loaded on to the roll-on/off cargo vessel Bahri Jeddah (IMO 9626522) at Eemshaven. IHS Maritime & Trade data show Bahri Jeddahleft Eemshaven on 22 June and arrived at the Jordanian port of Aqaba on 16 July.

Want to read more? For analysis on this article and access to all our insight content, please enquire about our subscription options　ihs.com/contact




(250 words)

http://www.janes.com/article/62523/jordan-receives-final-cheetah-spaags