[A-List] UK sub-imperialism: Jordan

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Britain gives Jordan £40m worth of tanks
IAN BRUCE, Defence Correspondent
The Herald, February 09 2004

BRITAIN has donated 14 Challenger tanks worth more than £40m to Jordan as
the first stage of a deal to help upgrade the Arab kingdom's forces.

The UK is understood to have given the Challenger 1 vehicles for nothing as
a reward for Jordan's secret role in providing bases for special forces'
operations into western Iraq in advance of the coalition invasion to topple
Saddam Hussein.

The kingdom, a long-time British ally in the region, will eventually receive
288 Challenger 1s. The British Army operates 386 of the more advanced
Challenger 2 tanks that spearheaded the attack on Basra last year.

The Jordanians are understood to be paying for part of the refurbishment of
the vehicles, which have been in storage for some time. The tanks cost more
than £3m apiece when they were bought from Vickers for the Army.

A defence source said yesterday: "The Challenger 1s give the Jordanian armed
forces a quantum leap in capability in the region. They are still using
50-year-old Centurion tanks."