A deployment of the joint RAF-Qatari Typhoon squadron – 12 Squadron — has departed RAF Coningsby to support the Qatar Emiri Air Force with air security operations for the FIFA World Cup.

12 Squadron pilot, Squadron Leader Luke Wilkinson, was quoted as saying:

“It’s the absolute capstone of what we’re doing. It’s a great honour to be representing the RAF at a global event but also providing assurance and safe skies for the fans, for the participants and for the organisers of the World Cup in support of our colleagues. We’ve got a good pedigree in terms of major sporting events. I was working on the Olympic Games in London in 2012 and so we fully understand the demands of a layered defence at a global event.

Eurofighter brings height, speed and reach. These are the keys of air power as far as we’re concerned. We will be there as a constant presence and we’ll be able to react to an absolute multitude of threats very, very quickly. There’s nothing quite like the power that comes from the Typhoon in terms of thrust. It is an absolute dream to fly. Eurofighter is an ideal platform for air security. We proved that at the Olympics. But it is part of a layered defence — there’ll be other units from the UK Armed Forces supporting the Qatari armed forces with their defence and protection of the World Cup.”

12 Squadron was reactivated in 2017 and became a joint squadron in 2020 when the Qatari contingent arrived in the UK.

“As their Eurofighter jets were being built, their pilots and their technicians were being built too, to provide them with a day-one capability at Dukhan Main Operating Base in Qatar. It was run like a front-line squadron, with British and Qatari pilots learning from each other.”

You can read more on this here.

 

Lisa West
Lisa West
Lisa has a degree in Media & Communication from Glasgow Caledonian University and works with industry news, sifting through press releases in addition to moderating website comments.

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57 COMMENTS

  1. So, currently the West is in something of a bind due to how the political elites have for the past 20 odd years prostrated themselves at the altar of Global warming sorry climate change and enacted vast changes which have come home to roost when Putin decided to start to restrict the flow of gas West.

    We are seeing something similar with how the same political elites target: Food production (looks at Holland) the idiots across the Uk who are demanding that we forgo Milk , Meat, Soya, anything from a country they object to. And now they target Qatar where their subscription to their faith has resulted in the Alphabet people having a melt down.

    But what they appear not to have noticed is Qatar supplies the UK with a lot of gas and if the Qatari become offended (As is written into their DNA) then they will either raise the price, or even cut it. Not to worry thou as the great unwashed across the UK will simply blame everybody and anybody bar themselves. On that note I see that the black eco champion Gary Lineker (who tweeted he has flown back to the Uk twice this past week) has complained about how Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated:
    “One of the things I’d say to football fans is please do be respectful of the host nation. “They’re trying to ensure that people can be themselves and enjoy the football…”

    This from a bloke who is going to Qatar to lead the BBCs reporting from the World cup.

    Oh look theres that ‘H’ word again.

    P.S.
    Just to make it clear , I am all for a change to a greener way of life (Explains all our LIFX lightbulbs, new electric goods with a much lighter footprint etc) but the change over has to be done sensibly in which to ensure that the transfer goes as smoothly as possible. Simply banning stuff doesnt help anybody. I mean students at Sheffield university held a protest the otherday over its so called links to the miltary, this is dispite the fact Sheffield university actually ended all links to the the British Miltliary years ago. But somehow the wonks decided that the Uni’s links with Rolls Royce (who also make engines for the miltary) allows them to continue to protest.

    • If the two parties would sincerely address climate change the issue would cease to be the exclusive territory of extremists.

      • T wrote:

        “”If the two parties would sincerely address climate change the issue would cease to be the exclusive territory of extremists.””

        1) The Uk has made the biggest cuts in CO2 across Europe
        2) The Uk (like EU countries) signed up to the Paris Climate Accords in 2016, which set 5 year targets, targets the UK has met. until 2030 where they have to achieve 55% cuts in CO2 as per 1990 levels
        3)The UK government set in law (April 21) the world’s most ambitious climate change target, cutting emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels
        4) The Uk like the rest of the EU has a net zero carbon goal for 2050 (But labour the other day stated if it comes into power, it would move the goalposts to 2030)
        5) The 5 largest polluters in the world are:
        China (30%)
        US
        Eu
        India
        Russia
        Of those 5 only the US (14%) and the EU (8%) are currently active within the Paris agreement which as I have mentioned above has a goal of cutting CO2 to 55% of 1990 levels by 2030, the other 3 (China, India and Russia) claimed developing country status which afforded them the cop out of not having to bother about cutting CO2 levels (note I said start) until 2030. Not only that but Paris also saw the birth of a climate change fund where by 2020, it would receive $100 billion a year from countries which had signed up (read that as first world nations, ie the West) which would be used to combat CC around the world (which explains why so many third world countries love to play the CC change) including China (which has already received funds) India and Russia.
         
        6) All of the above shows that actually both parties in the UK have gone well out of their way to address CC . Which the left, the sick, lame and lazy always fail to mention, which allows them to carry out stupid stunts which targets the Uk (which produces 0.8% of the worlds CO2) and not any country which produces more.

        • Those targets are being met with figures fabricated with ‘carbon offset’ (I believe Certified Emission Reduction is the euphemism nowadays) and are therefore complete BS that just enables more pollution now with the all too familiar promise of jam tomorrow.

          • What is particularly ridiculous about it all is that we only meet these targets by virtue of having outsourced much of our industry to places that don’t- and won’t anytime soon- rendering the whole concept of a national target pointless.

        • The Scandinavian countries already are climate-neutral, so, to be more precise, the UK has done the largest reductions of the large countries, and has a clear and affordable path to climate neutral. It’s installed wind power is currently underused (18% vs 32% in Denmark), because energy providers prefer more dependable, ie their own sources. Hence, energy buffer storage and legislation is required, which at this point would already help us over the 100% electricity mark.

          EU?
          Spain and Italy are basically doing nothing, France lives off its NPPs, which have to be replaced in the next 20 years, only to be bailed out by British and German gas plants over the summer. Germany is closing its last NPPs while still depending on coal. Typical EU double standards… lots of talk, lack of action.

          • The Scandinavian countries are no where near neutral and all bar Sweden have higher per capita emissions than the UK.

          • ‘Carbon neutral’ is a myth, weather systems are being disrupted regardless of how many trees we promise to plant/not cut down at some point.

            ‘Carbon credits’ only allow oil companies to continue releasing the carbon trapped in oil and gas with the promise that it can all be compensated for by converting fertile farmland into carbon traps, but the more oil we extract from underground the more surface ground needs to be used to compensate.

    • What an eminently sensible piece of writing. I remember a pre middle east deployment “lecture” many moons ago about alcohol. It dawned on me as a youngster then, that if you go to another country you respect their faith, society and “ways”. If not you have no leg to stand on if you break their laws/customs. The mouthy know all wokery crowd are just about as stupid as stupid gets imho. Tatchell was lucky he did not end up in a Qatari cell yesterday. Then these are the warmist/green/lefty brigade who know best eh? The types who would be happy living in caves eating a plant based diet. I see “Just Stop Oil” are seeing some real public anger at last. Maybe the rest of these lunatics better note, people are sick of them, their “message” and their methods. Time for some proper sentencing from courts, real action from police and zero tolerance of extremism. With love from a very disgruntled old infantryman 😃

      • Let’s be clear, Peter Tatchell’s protest in Qatar was in relation to Qatar’s stance on LGBT+ and not “warmist/green/lefty.”

        As Peter suggests, Qatar arrests, jails and subjects LGBTs to ‘conversion’ therapies.

        Yes, he was lucky not to be thrown into jail but on the cusp of the Football World Cup it would be bad press for Qatar had that happened.

        What should not have happened in the first place is that Qatar was awarded in the World Cup in the first place given its stance on LGBT.

        But what has happened is that respect should be shown to a nation for it’s “ways.” Bol***ks.

        • Exactly, the issue isn’t conforming to a country’s culture, but the fact that a country with that culture which goes against pretty much every Western value bribed themselves into being the host.

        • Go study Tatchell’s history. He is a grandstanding extremist. As for how another country “treats” its citizens? That is their business. A bleeding heart is all well and good. It makes no difference. So you do not agree, fine, water off a duck’s back matey.

        • “Peter Tatchell’s protest in Qatar was in relation to Qatar’s stance on LGBT+ and not “warmist/green/lefty.””

          That’s all just ‘leftist wokery’ to this crowd.

    • A gentle reminder that this site has visitors with a variety of views. Many believe LGBT rights are important, climate change is human made and real and the UK has a balancing act regarding principles versus the (short term) national interest.

      • A enormous European land war. And the UK decides to send some of its already overstretched Air Force as air cover to the goddamn soccer games. At some point it is really hard to take this seriously.

        • You do like having a go at the UK and our armed services don’t you.

          We actually deploy and use our resources, unlike most. In the unlikely event that we became directly involved in a conflict, we’d bring them back.

        • Yeah but the damn Russians would have to contend with the whole of NATO if they do anything. Which by current performance would be an absolute one side slaughtering. Russias army airforce and navy would last about 7 days max against a concerted NATO military effort

          • And the UK would have to rely on everyone else to do that.. Good lord man. NATO is hollow as a log. Other than a few members. Carry your own goddamn weight.

        • I agree, the RAF deployment to Qatar, on the surface looks stupid…
          (It’s only Football after all)

          But 12 Sqn is joint Qatari/British staffed.

          The agreement between the RAF and RQAF states that 12Sqn will/can be used by either nation to defend national interests when needed.

          The World Cup in in Qatar, therefor a Qatari interest.

          Also, look a little deeper at the region and what do you see?

          Iran, not looking too stable…
          How long before the Republican Guard start using force?
          Yemen?

          Also, 12Sqn will be now by away from their home base if that major European war happens to get hotter…

          Meaning more NATO forces on a potential Southern axis of attack.

          So, is it really a stupid move?

    • I agree with most of that, but the global elite have been the ones who have tied us to dependence on gas and oil and still making bundles on it today, Truss reportedly was in their pocket with links to a number of companies and individuals involved in producing or promoting the old fuels.

      Had we had the sense to commit to green energies sooner when all the short sighted idiots were frothing at the mouth at it being too expensive, ( and had we maintained a basic level of Nuclear power replacement till alternatives were possible) we would not now be in this ridiculous situation where Putin is able to threaten our whole way of life. All those green activists back in the 80s and 90s esp as they weren’t back then pinky greens but true ecologists, really should have been listened to more, in particular the need to insulate. I remember as a student circa 1980 visiting the Centre for Alternative Technology at Machynlleth and seeing all sorts of great tech including heat pumps and in particular a triple glazed house that would stay warm with body heat in late October (at a time it was cold this time of year) and yet we still build housing with barely a minimum level of heat retention today and do little to improve existing stock.

    • I have to say, reading you comment is like reading a pro Putin, Russian sympathetic online article.

      The damage humans are doing to this planet will probably make our species extinct within the next couple of hundred years. There is a high possibility that you, I and everyone we know will starve to death rather then die of old age.

      If our successive governments had pulled their heads out of their arses over the last thirty years, the UK would be completely self sufficient in terms of energy, by now.

      The black lives matter comment, and the reference to “alphabet people” is straight out of a Russian troll farm, or a Nazi party pamphlet. It has completely negated whatever point you were trying to make.
      I genuinely have to wonder if you are of sound mind.

      While all you seem to be worrying about is Gary lineker, asylum seekers, and “wokism”

      The rest of us are worried about how our former prime minister had her phone hacked, and then conspired with the prime minister she was replacing to cover it up during her bid to become leader of the popular nationalist conservative party.

      A prime minister may I had that has connections to Putin, and several Putin sympathisers.
      Liz truss then managed to almost crash the UK economy, forced up the cost of government borrowing, which will result in massive cuts to public services, including our armed forces.

      Never mind the huge increases in mortgage payments that millions of people will now have to budget for. Further weakening the UK economy.
      All this on top of Brexit, which has completely crushed the majority of Britain’s small and medium sized businesses and is the primary reason for the UK having the worst economic performance of any developed nation.

      All this was orchestrated by a small group of media moguls, authoritarian political extremists such as Boris, Truss and and that monster Priti, with a very large helping hand from Putin internet troll farms….

      I was watching a pro putin Russian talk show the other day, and you pretty much repeated all the beliefs they shared on this show.

      I find it very concerning that you have so easily been convinced to publicly air these “beliefs” you hold.

    • They are still working up their capability. They have plenty of aircraft on order, F15E and Typhoons, plus of course the 36 Rafales they already have. Once they have all the aircraft delivered and the pilots trained, their air force will be very respectable. In the meantime, the RAF gets to help out and showcase the Typhoon.

  4. So the RAF are being deployed in Qatar, to bolster their defence… and strengthen their midfield for the opening game against Ecuador 🙂

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