A Hawk trainer aircraft of the Qatar Emiri Air Force landed at the RAF Leeming airbase, northern England, on September 1, 2021.
It is the first Qatari aircraft to join the new Joint Qatar Emiri Air Force-RAF Hawk Training Squadron, which will train pilots from both air forces, starting initially with a group of Qatar Emiri Air Force student pilots.
All of the nine Hawk T2 jet trainers ordered by Qatar from BAE Systems are due to join the squadron.
“I am delighted to welcome our Qatari friends to RAF Leeming and to work in partnership with BAE Systems to deliver world-class flying training in support of both the Qatar Emiri Air Force and RAF,” said Group Captain Blythe Crawford in a statement.
The Qatar Emiri Air Force aims to operate four different kinds of fighter jets, namely the Dassault Mirage 2000, the Dassault Rafale, the Boeing F-15QA, and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Qatar recently reached an agreement with Italy to use the International Flight Training School (IFTS), a joint initiative by the Aeronautica Militare and Leonardo, for basic training.