Qatar has confirmed another major fighter deal, with an order for 24 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft in a £6bn package that includes support and training services. Deliveries are expected to start in late 2022.
Just days after firming up contracts for an additional 12 Rafales, Qatar has confirmed an order for 24 Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft in a £6bn package that includes support and training services. The order follows a Statement of Intent signed in September. BAE Systems will assemble the aircraft at its Warton site in the UK. Deliveries are expected to start in late 2022.
BAE Systems also said the agreement included a “clear intention to proceed with the purchase of Hawk aircraft.”
The deal — the biggest Typhoon export sale in 10 years — also includes an agreement with MBDA for Brimstone and Meteor missiles, as well as the Raytheon Paveway IV UK-manufactured weapon. The package of training and cooperation activities between the Air Forces which will see them working together more regularly, including Qatari pilot and ground-crew training in the UK.
Qatar is the fourth country in the region to order the Typhoon — after Oman (12 aircraft), Kuwait (28) and Saudi Arabia (72) — and the ninth overall. Negotiations for the sale of a second batch of Typhoons for Saudi Arabia are ongoing.
Qatar also placed an order for 36 Boeing F-15QAs this summer.