UK’s BAE Systems on September 18 said it had finalised a deal to supply Qatar with 24 Typhoon fighter jets after it receiving the first payment on the contract.
The sealed deal is worth about £5billion to supply the aircraft, offer support and training.
According UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson, the deal is a massive boost to the British defense industry, helping to support thousands of jobs, besides it will help UK further build the trust with Qatar and subsequently tackle the challenges shared in realization security at home and regionally.
The Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson and his Qatari counterpart, Dr Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah, oversaw the signing of the deal in Doha in December. Deliveries of the first Typhoon aircraft are expected to commence in 2022.
The deal also involves a package of training and co-operation between the UK and Qatari Air Forces which will see them working closely together in the future.
Before the delivery, a new UK-based Typhoon joint squadron, reformed as No.12 squadron, will be put into place comprising of both Qatari Emiri Air Force and RAF personnel. It will also include pilots and ground-crew based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
The UK and Qatar share common interests in countering violent extremism, and ensuring stability in the region, and the deal further strengthens those ties by helping to prevent terrorism from spreading and protecting the prosperity and security of the UK at home, the Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson underscored.
