BAE have released an update on the Qatar Typhoon and Hawk programme, one year on.
Substantial progress has been made on the contract between BAE Systems and the Government of Qatar for the provision of 24 Typhoon aircraft, 9 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers and a six-year availability support service which came into effect one year ago today.
The company says its mobilisation of resources means that over 50 BAE Systems employees are now based in Qatar, with an active recruitment and development programme aiming to create careers for over 300 employees in Qatar by 2022, when the first aircraft are delivered.
Tony Gilchrist, Director Middle East BAE Systems said:
“Since the contract became effective a year ago, great progress has been made against our mutually agreed milestones, with all commitments delivered on schedule. Our teams in the UK and in Qatar are working hard alongside our Qatari partners and stakeholders to deliver this important programme.”
According to a news release, the upcoming opening of the new Technical Institute is seen by BAE as a significant demonstration of the ongoing success of the collaboration.
“The Institute will provide hundreds of Qataris with the critical skills required to support air platforms and offer a route to future employment in highly skilled engineering and technical positions within the Qatari Armed Forces.”
Mr Gilchrist said:
“The Technical Institute will deliver internationally accredited training in English language and engineering subjects, directly supporting Qatar’s aspirations for manpower development under Qatar’s National Vision.”
Alongside significant progress in Qatar, the first Qatari students have been able to start their training in the UK, with 65 students taking English language training at the Royal Air Force Cosford base this year.
The first of these students have now transferred into technical training and will eventually join the Royal Air Force and Qatar Amiri Air Force Typhoon Joint Squadron.
The Joint Squadron will enable UK and Qatari personnel (pilots and ground crew) to train alongside one another and to gain mutual valuable experience operating the aircraft. This will also help Qatar prepare for the acceptance of the first Typhoon deliveries in 2022.
Any more orders in the pipeline? Or 24 max, I see they ordered an additional 12 French Rafale jets! So 36 of then 24 typhoons and 36 f15s. What are they thinking!
Hi Cam, I think these purchases are less to do with building a coherent military capability; I believe Qatar is “buying” influence in a range of foreign capitals to bolster the regime, if needed.
Hi Alan, Yeah probably and money talks, but they must be wasting billions, over the life of these airframes, but hey they have money to burn. They are buying 42 Apaches and lots more other helicopters too they are building new air bases to house them, they use a commercial airport to house military jets just now.
That’s what I was thinking, such a range of different airframes, and all need separate logistic pipelines, training and support. But as Alan said, more likely buying friends who can support them in the region!
Exactly it’s crazy, and lucky Qatar is paying for all the complicated logistics training maintenance ect from all three nations professional air forces, three of the best air forces in my opinion.
We’ll ‘ave one of them, and er, one of them and, er… oh go on then…!
When will the Typhoon Squadron ( No9?) revert to all RAF?
The joint squadron is 12 at Coningsby. 9 has already stood up at Lossie using tranche 1 as QRA and Aggressor tasking. 12 will probably return to UK only after transition of aircraft, training and support to Qatar in 2022.
I believe it’s 12 Squadron that will be the joint unit. There were some rumours (can’t remember if internet or a magazine article) that 12 Squadron may disband after completion of the Qatar training. However, as the creation of the two additional Typhoon squadrons is a result of the 2015 SDSR i would hope this isn’t the plan (SDSR15 predates the Qatar order).
Thanks Markt could not remember its number plate.
I expect 9 & 12 to remain as Typhoon units to join the previous 5, making 7 as stated in SDSR.
A sleight of hand really as aircraft numbers have dropped but squadron numbers remain.
I think they don’t care about aircraft numbers per Sqn as airframes are pooled, and allocated to the flying Programme daily on all main air bases now Daniele. As you know, they rotate the airframes to reduce and even out flying hours. I think Sqn numbers and titles remain purely through history and the morale factor.
Evening mate. Agree. I was referring to the demise of Tornado. 8 Squadrons previous…5 Typhoon, 3 Tornado, 2 different fleets. Now, same number of squadrons, one fleet, same number of Typhoons, spread out that much further with new logistics package from BAE. This was done as under SDSR 2010 the RAF was headed for just 6 Fast Jet Squadrons, 5 Typhoon and 1 F35, and even the MoD and Air Staff could see that is just nuts. Now Joe Public see the RAF “still” have 8 Fast Jet Squadrons but the number of planes is cut – again. I know… Read more »
Something else that may be a factor to perhaps consider is higher Typhoon availability versus Tornado? I’m not stating that it is but I thought I had read such resulting from TyTAN, so don’t take my comment as factual, only a possibility. In other words the overall and per squadron aircraft numbers are lower as you state but this is mitigated to some degree by having higher availability.
Roger that mate, and as ever you are correct. And if only everyone would “bang on” about these situations things may possibly get better. Yes the Typhoon is more capable and versatile, but there is always a minimum number of airframes required to do a job, and I believe we have gone past “peak oil” on that. As for politicians party politics, their recent antics prove all they are concerned about is themselves and their parties interests. We, as people of this country, and considered useful fools, to be used and abused and then patted on the head when needed.… Read more »
We shouldn’t Be Reducing to produce, we should have just build the additional 16 typhoons anyway and not scrap the other 16, that’s a squadron right there that could have been available if we didn’t scrap those 16 typhoons. Probably Earlier models but could have still been handy in the RAF, what you think Daniele m8?
Cam – I too wondered why there were 16 Typhoons going through the RTP process.With the Tornado retiring ,there certainly is a need for replacements of some sort.As far as I know the 16 Typhoons were Twin-Stick Trainers,im not sure of the Airframe hours or condition but if they were in any way serviceable and you could hang Paveways off of them they would surely have been of use for Operation Shader etc,and save the latest ones for when they might be needed.
This months Aviation News has an interview with the Typhoon force commander. Looks like 12 Sqn will become the second aggressor unit upon completion of the Qatar training duties in 2022. He also talks of the possibility of an 8th squadron by 2025 ( although no mention of new aircraft orders). Compared with the SDSR 2010 plan the Typhoon force is physically bigger as some of the tranche 1 airframes have been retained, the 2010 plan would have seen all tranche 1 jets withdrawn from service.
Aren’t they over visiting Boris today? Hopefully they will order something to boost UK jobs. Their country is so small I’m not sure they even could defend with the latest equipment. Its a bit like Kuwait it would be over before it even starts.
They gave the usual run of the mill statements pointing out the complete obvious without any substance
We do well with trade to Qatar mind, and with the World Cup coming up that should be going higher and higher
Good lord, is that still going ahead? During the PL Season, in that heat!
Yep, bribed to win and stadiums built on 99p an hour ?
They’ve got zero interest in football, when Xavi moved there from Barcelona he was playing in near empty stadiums
At least they’re lifting sharia law in the fan zones so fans can drink alcohol though! What a sentence that is
Should of been the USA’s
world cup is taking place during the winter – just for that reason
Did the PL and UEFA confirm if there would be a mid season break or will it continue regardless.
It would actually be interesting if it went on regardless, it would be interesting to see if the smaller clubs could challenge for titles across Europe.
That’s going to be an interesting World Cup….
I do wish the RAF could get some more Hawks. we have too few T2s and will need to replace the aggressors and fleet requirements aircraft at some point. also, we have all noticed that a lower cost, lighter CAS aircraft for benign air environments would be sensible to save life of Typhoons and F35s. why not have single seat hawks for that role. as long as they can use a cannon, drop paveway and fire brimstone, that should be sufficient. they could work with f35s for sensors. That said, by the time you include that capability, they may not… Read more »
Hold that thought Julian as I’ve always thought a lightweight attack aircraft such as the Tucson would have been ideal for low/medium threat environs such as Afghan. We have tucanos, spend a few quid and give a dozen or so a decent attack capability, for low threat environments, and utilise them as and when needed. In the 80s I remember the Hawk T1s had a secondary air defence role, operating with a radar equipped phantom. Do the same to the tucanos, ground attack role, low intensity conflicts. Although I’m sure someone with more knowldge than I will tell me how… Read more »
Tucson, bloody predictive text, supposed to say tucano.
according to AFM, the Tucanos are totally worn out. they were never equipped to carry stores and I doubt they could be adapted for the likes of brimstone. the equivalent are what some of the south American air forces use such as Colombia – using Pilatus I think but the weapons are very crude. Hawks would keep the production lines open just a bit longer
Actually, colombia does indeed use tucano for COIN but I suspect very crude weapons..
It’s not expensive to build new ones. Bombardier would be more than happy to build them in Belfast I’m sure.
To be fair, we have the Reaper and soon Protector for CAS. Both can carry Hellfire and 500lbs Laser guided bombs. There has been speculation that LMM may also be integrated. The problem though is that the next conflict may not be over benign skies like Afghan or Iraq. As soon as the enemy have the capability to lob a few manpads in the sky, aircraft like these become very vulnerable. This is because they have a very limited field of view and are therefore slow to react to threats. A light ground attack aircraft would be useful, except it… Read more »
Not saying hawk is optimal for the job, but it would save adding a new aircraft type and would have plenty of versatility as could be used within training and aggressor fleets too
Put Tucanos into Afghanistan & they’ll be MANPAD fodder.
I disagree massively, upgrade with some sort of DAS, and they would have been very effective, both operationally and financially. MANPADs were few and far between on all our Herrick tours.
But our typhoons have to be flying anyway even if it only for the pilots to keep up to scratch, don’t they have to fly a certain amount of hours per month, can’t remember how many, but my point is typhoons will be flying anyway so may aswell use them, I think the hawk should be given some balls and a squadron set up as light attack aircraft for areas we have complete air control and they could be useful if typhoons are overkill.
Cam I think its abiut 180 hours per month, but I believe (on the F35 they are planning to do over half simulated). Where we have air superiority using a Typhoon, whilst a very very good bomb and missile truck, is an overkill and wasting flying hours. Every conflcit will be different and dicate tactics and missions, but in Afghan we get allocated aircraft on patrol briefing, and could have any nations airframe race tracking overhead, for up to 4 hours (In the case of a B52, normaly maybe 1-2 hours) and while nice to have, they were never enough… Read more »
Thanks for the hours info ect Airborne I find it interesting, and I never thought about Tucanos or even light attack aircraft before, Tucanos seem to be pretty fast 300mph max (compared to an Apache) and they even have heavy guns and bombs and rockets, and even drop tanks for longer range so they are capable in that role, the Irish Air Force use something similar the Pilatus PC-9 for attack role Airborne not sure how good they are though but I bet they’re ok being Swiss.
I have always thought we should have an equivalent of the US National Guard. Where they normally act as reserve and fly perhaps at the weekends etc. Granted this would not help maintain currency in something like a Typhoon, but for a “simplish” ground attack aircraft it could work. The majority of A10 pilots in Afghan were national guard. The tours could last anything from 6 to 12 months, they had a massive incentive to go for example, mortgage paid for whilst away, family health care (no NHS remember) and a massive bonus. Also once they did a combat tour,… Read more »