The Qatar Armed Forces are the military forces of Qatar. The country maintains a military force of approximately 104,100 men, including an army (65,000), navy (21,400), Emiri Guard (20,400), Internal Security Forces (15,000) and air force (3,700). Furthermore, since 2015, Qatar implemented mandatory military conscription with an average of 2000 graduates per year. As of 2010, Qatar's defence expenditures added up to a total of $1.913 billion, about 1.5% of the national GDP, according to the SIPRI. Qatar has recently signed defence pacts with the United States in 2002 and 2013 and with the United Kingdom, as well as with France earlier, in 1994. Qatar plays an active role in the collective defense efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council; the other five members are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman. Qatar also hosts the largest American military base in the middle east and in 2017 inaugurated a military attache office in Washington.
SIPRI states that Qatar's plans to transform and significantly enlarge its armed forces have accelerated in 2014, and in 2010-14 Qatar was the 46th largest arms importer in the world. Orders in 2013 for 62 tanks and 24 self-propelled guns from Germany were followed in 2014 by a number of other contracts, including 24 combat helicopters and 3 AEW aircraft from the USA, and 2 tanker aircraft from Spain. As of 2016, Qatar maintains advanced anti air and anti ship capabilities with deliveries of Patriot PAC-3 MSE Batteries, Exocet MM40 Block 3 and Marte ER anti-ship missiles.
Video Qatar Armed Forces
History
The armed forces were founded in 1971 after the country gained independence from the United Kingdom.
Qatar took part in the Gulf War of 1991, with a battalion at the Battle of Khafji. It also hosted the 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Doha.
In July 2008, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency announced Qatar's official request for logistics support, training, and associated equipment and services. The total value of the support arrangements could be as high as $400 million.
In March 2011, Qatar announced the participation of its Air Force in the enforcement of the Libyan no-fly zone.
Maps Qatar Armed Forces
Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
According to Aljazeera news, in December 2016 Qatar deployed 1,000 ground troops in Yemen to fight in behalf of the ousted president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, Qatar Armed Forces soldiers, backed by 200 armoured vehicles and 30 Apache helicopters, head to Yemen's Marib province.
The Armed Forces of Qatar have suffered 4 killed and 2 wounded during the deployment in Yemen.
Military branches
Army
The Qatar Emiri Land Force is the largest branch of the Qatar Armed Forces. Qatar maintains a military force of approximately 104,100 men; the army is made of around 65,500 men.
Initially outfitted with British weaponry, Qatar shifted much of its procurement to France during the 1980s in response to French efforts to develop closer relations. The tank battalion was equipped with French-built AMX-30 main battle tanks, before later being replaced by German Leopard 2A7's. Other armored vehicles include French AMX-10P APCs and the French VAB, adopted as the standard wheeled combat vehicle. The artillery unit has a few French 155mm self-propelled howitzers. The principal antitank weapons are French Milan and HOT wire-guided missiles.
Qatar had also illicitly acquired a few Stinger shoulder-fired SAMs, possibly from Afghan rebel groups, at a time when the United States was trying to maintain tight controls on Stingers in the Middle East. When Qatar refused to turn over the missiles, the United States Senate in 1988 imposed a ban on the sale of all weapons to Qatar. The ban was repealed in late 1990 when Qatar satisfactorily accounted for its disposition of the Stingers.
Qatari tank battalion fought in the Gulf war in 1991, their AMX-30's took part in the battle of Khafji. Qatari contingent, composed mostly of Pakistani recruits, acquitted itself well during the war.
Qatar signed a contract with the German defence company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) for the delivery of 24 artillery systems PzH 2000 and 62 LEOPARD 2 main battle tanks.
The US DSCA announces that Qatar wants to join its neighbor the UAE, and field 2 medium-range THAAD batteries of its own.
Their request is worth up to $6.5 billion, and includes up to 12 THAAD Launchers, 150 THAAD missiles, 2 THAAD Fire Control and Communications units, 2 AN/TPY-2 THAAD Radars, and 1 Early Warning Radar (EWR). The USA would also sell them the required trucks, generators, electrical power units, trailers, communications equipment, fire unit test & maintenance equipment, system integration and checkout, repair and return, training, and other support.
Major Army units
- Royal Guard Brigade
- Infantry Battalion
- Infantry Battalion
- Infantry Battalion
- Qatari Army
- Special Forces Company
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion
- Artillery Battalion
- Artillery Battery
- Artillery Battery
- Artillery Battery
- Artillery Battery
- Anti-aircraft Battery
- Armored Brigade
- Mortar Company
- Tank Battalion
- Mechanized Infantry Battalion
- Anti-tank Battalion
Tanks and vehicles
- 62x Leopard 2A7+ on order - 32 Delivered (option for up to 200 in total)
- 30-44x AMX-30 MBT - to be replaced by Leopard 2
- 1x AMX-30D Recovery tank
- 36x MOWAG Piranha MK-II 8x8 CCTS-90mm turret
- 4x MOWAG Piranha ARVs-recovery
- 40x AMX-10P IFV status unknown
- 158x Renault Trucks VAB 6x6 APC
- 4x Renault Trucks VAB\VPM-81 4x4 APC with 81mm mortar
- 24x Renault Trucks VAB 4x4\6x6 VCAC-HOT APC with MBDA HOT anti tank missile launcher
- 32 Fennek light armored reconnaissance vehicles, on order
- 27x Renault Sherpa 2 Light tactical vehicle
- 12x Nexter Systems AMX-10RC 105mm 6x6 ARV
- 30x Nexter Systems AMX-VCI IFV status unknown
- 8x Cadilac LAV V150 Commando 4x4 APC
- 6x AM General Humvee M1115A2 4x4
- 16x VBL 4x4 APC
- 32x Engesa EE-9 Cascavel 90mm 6x6 ARV
- 10x Daimler FV-701 Ferret 4x4 ARV -Status unknown
- 30x Alvis Saracen 6x6 APC -Status unknown
- 5x Shepra APC
- Landrover
- Mercedes Benz Unimog U-4000\U-5000 trucks
- Iveco Stralis trucks
- Sinotruk HOWO T7H trucks
- KAMAZ trucks
- 20x Thyssen Henschel UR-416 4x4 APC
- C4I System
Fire Support / Artillery
- 15x Brandt 120mm heavy mortar
- 40x Carl Gustav M2-550 84mm RCLs
- 48x MBDA HOT anti tank missile launchers with 1,000 missiles
- 100x MBDA MILAN anti tank missile launchers with 630 missiles
- Bofors AT4CS light ATRL
- Swingfire anti tank missile
- 50x FGM-148 Javelin CLUs with 500 anti tank missile on order
Air-defence
Small arms
- Heckler & Koch HK4
- SIG Sauer P226
- S&W Model 10
- Heckler & Koch MP5A3
- Sterling MK-IV\L2A3
- 3,000x M16A-1
- 3,000x Colt CAR-15A1
- 100x Colt M4 carbine
- AK-47
- Heckler & Koch HK21
- 200x M203 grenade launcher, M203-PI
- Barrett M82A-1
- AKM
- M2 Browning machine gun
- Valmet M76
- Valmet M62
- Heckler & Koch G3A3
- FN FAL 50-00
- FN MAG 60-00\T-14
- FN Minimi
- Mosberg Model-700
The Qatari Emiri Navy (QEN), also called the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces (QENF), is the naval branch of the armed forces of the State of Qatar.
Qatar Emiri Air Force
The Qatar Emiri Air Force was formed in 1974, three years after achieving independence from Great Britain in 1971. Initially equipped with ex-RAF Hawker Hunters, the air force soon began expansion with six Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets in 1979. Fourteen Dassault Mirage F1 were delivered between 1980-84. After the Gulf War, Qatar's air force infrastructure was upgraded by France for $200 million, leading to the order of nine single seat Mirage 2000-5DEA multi-role combat aircraft and three two seat Mirage 2000-5DDA combat trainers in August 1994. Deliveries started in December 1997, and involved the buy back of the remaining 11 Mirage F1s by France that were later sold on to Spain. The current commander of the Qatar Emiri Air Force is Brigadier General Mubarak Mohammed Al Kumait Al Khayarin.
British pilots in Oman remain on duty with the air force, and French specialists are employed in a maintenance capacity. Nevertheless, an increasing number of young Qataris have been trained as pilots and technicians.
Its units include:
- No. 1 Fighter Wing
- No. 7 Air Superiority Squadron - Dassault Mirage 2000
- 9 single-seat Mirage 2000-5EDA
- 3 2000-5DDA trainers
- No. 11 Close Support Squadron - Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet
- No. 7 Air Superiority Squadron - Dassault Mirage 2000
- No. 2 Rotary Wing
- No. 6 Close Support Squadron - Eurocopter SA342
- No. 8 Anti-Surface Vessel Squadron - Westland Sea King Commando Mk 3
- No. 9 Multi-Role Squadron - Westland Sea King Commando Mk 2
- Qatar Amiri Flight - C-17 Globemaster III
As of January 1993, all the air force's aircraft were based at Doha International Airport.
Air Force equipment
Historical Aircraft
- 15 Dassault Mirage F1 DDA (3)\Mirage F-1EDA (12) France-sold to Spain.
- 4 Hawker Hunter FGA-78 (3) \T-79 (1) United Kingdom
- 2 BAC EEC Canberra B.2 United Kingdom-Loan from RAF
- 1 Vickers VC-10 United Kingdom
- 2 Westland Whirlwind WS-55 Srs-3 United Kingdom
Missiles
- 144x MBDA Mica-RF France
- 272x MBDA Magic-II R.55O France
- Matra\MBDA R.530 France
- 128x MBDA AS-30L France
- 5x MBDA AM-39 Exocet France
- 225x Euromissile HOT ATGM (for SA-342 Attack Helicopters) France\ Germany
- 50x Apache Black Pearl ASM (for Mirage 2000-5) France
- SY400\BP-12A People's Republic of China
Other equipment
- 6x TRS-2100 Tiger radars France
- TTL BTT-3 Banashee target drone United Kingdom
Future aircraft
- In July 2008, Qatar's Emiri Air Force signed a EUR 260 million (currently about $400 million) contract with AgustaWestland for 18 AW139 medium twin helicopters (formerly the AB139, until the Bell partnership dissolved in 2005). The helicopters will be used for utility tasks, troop transport, search and rescue, border patrol, special forces operations, law enforcement and homeland security. Three additional aircraft were ordered in March 2011 for Medivac services.
- As of January 2011, the Air Force is evaluating the Eurofighter Typhoon, the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the Boeing F-15E and the Dassault Rafale to replace its current fighter inventory of Dassault Mirage 2000-5s. The total order will be between 24-36 aircraft with a procurement decision to be made by the end of 2012.
- In July 2012, Qatar requested the foreign military sale (FMS) of ten MH-60R and 12 MH-60S Seahawk multi-mission helicopters. The potential sale also includes an option for the late acquisition of six additional MH-60S Seahawk helicopters.
- In May 2015, the Air Force signed a deal for 24 Dassault Rafale fighters worth EUR6.3 billion ($7 billion). This deal makes Qatar the third export customer for the fighter after Egypt and India.
- The Government of Qatar has signed an agreement with Boeing to buy additional four C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, aimed to support Qatar Armed Forces' (QAF) ongoing airlift requirements.
See also
- Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen
- Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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