UK And Qatar Sign New Statement Of Intent

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and his Qatari counterpart have committed to strengthening the relationship between the two countries.

During a tour of RAF Coningsby, the two men signed a Statement of Intent which will see the UK offer a British base for the nine Hawk aircraft recently acquired by the Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF).

The Statement of Intent will provide the RAF with access to increased flying hours and the QEAF access to RAF-accredited training. The QEAF's latest acquisition may open doors for a potential new UK-Qatari Hawk squadron.

“Today we mark the start of an exciting new chapter in the longstanding defence relationship between the UK and Qatar, reinforcing and strengthening the bonds our Armed Forces already share,” Mr Wallace said.

The Lincolnshire RAF base is already home to the UK-Qatari joint Typhoon squadron. 

12 Squadron is the UK’s first joint squadron since the Second World War.

The Defence Secretary said the new agreement would build upon that success, adding "this new era of collaboration will deliver prosperity and security benefits for both our nations".

During the visit, Mr Wallace and His Excellency Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah officially opened the joint Typhoon squadron (12 Squadron) headquarters.

The pilots commenced flying as a joint squadron in June 2020 and since then they have achieved several milestones such as training with heavy weapons and taking part in an exercise at sea with the Royal Navy. In September, Mr Wallace held talks with HE Dr Khalid during a visit to Qatar.

As part of the visit, the UK’s Defence Secretary also toured the Combined Air Operations Centre in Al Udeid, where strikes are coordinated from as part of Op Shader.

Cover image: MOD.