Qatar and UK form joint Typhoon fighter jet squadron

The UK's ministry of defence has announced the formation of a new joint Typhoon squadron with Qatar that will begin flying in 2020.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

26 July, 2018

The new squadron will initially be based at RAF Coningsby [Anadolu]

Qatar and the UK have formed a joint Eurofighter Typhoon squadron that will initially be based at Royal Air Force (RAF) Coningsby, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on Tuesday.

The new Joint Typhoon Squadron (JTS), also known as 12 Squadron, was announced following a meeting between UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

It had initially been planned at the time of Qatar's agreement to procure 24 Typhoons from the UK in December last year.

In March, Saudi Arabia and BAE agreed to finalise talks on the purchase of 48 Typhoon aircraft, double Qatar's purchase.

On the same day as the MoD announcement, Qatar's ministry of defence released footage of interviews with two Qatari pilots who are set to join the new squadron.

The Gulf state has indicated that the squadron has been formed for both operational and training purposes.

The unit will begin flying in 2020, however, no timeline has been provided for the move of the squadron from the UK to Qatar.

Earlier this month, Qatar's emir met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow about buying the S-400 air defence system, but no agreement was reached.

News that Qatar might purchase the S-400 missile system that would pose a threat to NATO aircraft alarmed its neighbour Saudi Arabia, which - along with Bahrain the UAE and Egypt - launched a land, air and naval blockade on the gas-rich island-nation.