Amman (Agencies): The Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) have officially re-established a dedicated airborne unit, the Thunderbolt (Al-Saiqah) and Paratroopers Battalion, marking the return of parachute forces to Jordan’s military structure for the first time since 2017.
The announcement came on 30 March, coinciding with a visit by Major General Yusuf al-Hunaiti, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the battalion as part of Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Maj Gen Hunaiti also offered Eid prayers at the King Abdullah II Air Base, signaling the symbolic and operational significance of the reactivation.
This move follows the disbandment of Jordan’s previous paratrooper units — the 81st and 91st Battalions — which were merged in 2017 into the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Rapid Intervention Brigade, alongside the 61st Royal Commando Battalion, Jordan’s specialist mountain warfare unit.
Recent footage aired on Jordanian television on 5 April has helped identify the location of the newly re-established battalion’s base on the northern perimeter of King Abdullah II Air Base, adjacent to Camp Dunbar, a U.S. military installation.
Interestingly, the signage at the base’s entrance now bears the name of the Thunderbolt and Paratroopers Battalion, replacing the previous insignia of the Air Operations Company of the 51st Special Support Unit, which had been featured in a television segment aired in January 2024.
The 51st Special Support Unit, under the King Abdullah II Royal Special Forces Group, has been responsible for air operations including parachute missions, supply drops, and humanitarian airdrops into Gaza. With the revival of the dedicated airborne battalion, analysts suggest a possible reorganization or redistribution of these responsibilities to bolster Jordan’s rapid response and airborne capabilities.
The re-establishment of the paratroopers comes at a time of heightened regional security concerns and reflects Jordan’s renewed focus on rapid deployment, specialized operations, and joint-force readiness.