The peninsular Arab country is in the midst of a wide-ranging modernisation and expansion of its air arm, the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF).
The UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon signed the statement of intent with his Qatari counterpart Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah in Doha yesterday, September 17.
The bid to sell Typhoons to Qatar is being led by BAE Systems and if the deal is concluded it will represent the UK’s first major defence contract with the Gulf state. It would keep the production line at Warton, Lancashire, active beyond 2019.
A deal could be finalised and signed in around a month.
Qatari interest in the Typhoon comes hot on the heels of deals to acquire fighters from France and the US: the Dassault Rafale and Boeing F-15QA, respectively.
On June 14 an agreement was concluded for the acquisition of 36 F-15QAs, a variant of the F-15E Strike Eagle tailored to Qatari requirements. The $12bn deal was signed in Washington by Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah and US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
The deal was signed amidst a diplomatic crisis that saw the country severing ties with much of the rest of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and three other countries broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar on June 5. The deal also followed comments by President Donald Trump that described Qatar as “a funder of terrorism at a very high level”.
airforcesmonthly
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