It was hosted by Cliff Robson, BAE Systems Group Managing Director, Air, and held under the patronage of HE Dr Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah (below), Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, and in the presence of Commander Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF), Major General Jassim Mohammed Ahmed Al Mannai.
The first Typhoon is set to be delivered on schedule following final acceptance and will ferry from the UK to Qatar later this month. Eurofighter Typhoon will provide critical security support for the FIFA World Cup which will be held in the State from 20 November 2022.
Wolfgang Gammel, Chief Operating Officer Programmes, Eurofighter, said: “This was an important day for Typhoon, for the Qatar programme and for Eurofighter and was the culmination of more than four years activity, during which time we overcame some significant challenges. Overcoming these challenges is a real testament to the collaboration efforts of all the Eurofighter industrial partners.”
Marcus Whiteley, Eurofighter VP Salam, Oman and Qatar, said: “Everyone worked together to deliver what was needed to reach this point and it shows we deliver on our commitments. The roll-out was a significant achievement, as well as a really proud day for everyone involved in the programme.
This is the most up-to-date Typhoon aircraft we've delivered to any customer. It will be flying on the same air base as Rafale and alongside F-15s. It’s a real opportunity to showcase the platform in the region.”
Rt Hon Ben Wallace, UK Secretary of State for Defence said: “This 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. This joint project underlines how much Britain values its Middle East partnerships.”
