Boeing Company of US wins $6.2bn contract for Qatar's F-15 aircraft
Notably, Boeing Co has been awarded a $6.2-billion contract for 36 F-15 aircraft for Qatar's air force. The hardcore aircraft will be delivered to Qatar Emiri Air Force at the end of 2022 and will be built by the aerospace giant in St Louis, in the US state of Missouri.
The US State Department in a statement said, "This contract provides for the foreign military sales requirement to procure 36 new F-15QA aircraft for the Qatar Emiri Air Force." However, the announcement covers half of the 72 F-15s Qatar will buy from the US.
On the other side, Defence Minister of Qatar Khalid al-Attiyah noted that the deal underscored the "long-standing commitment of the state of Qatar in jointly working with our friends and allies in the United States in advancing our military cooperation for closer strategic collaboration in our fight to counter violent extremism and promote peace and stability in our region and beyond".
In the Month of November this year, the United States and Qatar signed a separate contract or a support programme of Qatar's F-15 fighter aircraft. The contract had an estimated worth of $1.1bn and included the development of cybersecurity, protection, support and other related services. Meanwhile, Qatar also announced to buy 24 Typhoon fighter jets worth $8bn from the United Kingdom.
Interestingly, the deals come amidst a blockade against Qatar has gone on for more than six months. Arab quartet including Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have cut off ties with Qatar and blockaded the state, accusing it of supporting terrorism and sowing discord in the region on 5th of June this year.
Qatar denied all their allegations saying that they never supported Islamist militants and Shi'ite Iran. Later, Saudi and its allies issued a 13-point list of demands to end the rift on June 22 and gave Qatar 10 days to comply. However, earlier Qatar rejected to fulfill the demands.