Handover Ceremony in UK

The Qatar Emiri Air Force has received the first of its Eurofighter Typhoons during a ceremony attended by the Qatari defence minister in Lancashire.

The jet was formally handed over at BAE Systems‘ Warton facility, where Typhoon development, test and production takes place. Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, who is Qatar’s deputy prime minister and defence minister, attended the ceremony, as did the QEAF’s commander, Maj Gen Jassim Mohammed Ahmed Al Mannai.

“Today’s Typhoon delivery is another exciting milestone for our joint UK-Qatar collaboration, which will see the sharing of training and expertise between our respective air forces and will ensure both our nations stay at the forefront of defence capability,” said British defence minister Ben Wallace. “This joint project underlines how much Britain values its Middle East partnerships.”

The delivery has taken place on time and the aircraft is due to be flown to the Gulf nation before the end of August. The aircraft is expected to take part in the country’s security operations during the FIFA World Cup, which begins on November 20.