Qatar intensified military purchases: to buy the west or to deter foes?

Qatar works to strengthen its airpower during the current period, while the reasons for such moves is not known. The latest development in these moves came during the deal conducted between British Defense Secretary of Defense Michael Fallon and Qatari Defense Secretary Khalid bin Mohammed Al- Attiyah to sell twenty-four Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft to Doha

The Qatari government earlier conducted a $12-billion deal to purchase thirty-six Boeing F-15 from the United States

What makes these deals particularly shocking is how much of an increase they represent from what the Qatari Air Force currently fields. Despite hosting a large U.S. air base, Qatar itself has primarily relied on twelve aging Dassault Mirage 2000-5 fighters. Thus, the eighty-four different fighters are a seven-fold increase.

Military expert Tony Osborne said that such growth in airpower capability and capacity is virtually unprecedented in recent times, and historians would likely have to look back to the outbreak of World Wars I and II to see such rapid fleet growth.

He added that quantity is not the only aspects that stands out, saying that Qatar’s “decision to replace its one current fighter type with three different types is curious.

The plane can be fitted to serve in either air superiority or bomber roles. A bomber configuration would feature a few of the AMRAAMs and HARMs to go along with sixteen Small-Diameter Bombs (SDBs) and one 2,000 pound Joint Direct Attack Munition, among other armaments.

The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine jet produced by a consortium of European firms, including Italy’s Leonardo, France’s Airbus and the UK’s BAE Systems. As Robert Farley has explained on these pages [8], it is what many consider 4+ generation fighters, enjoying capabilities that outstrip fourth generation platforms without the stealth of newer fifth generation plans. Farley has also written that

The high maneuverability of the Typhoon makes it an excellent dogfighter [10]. It also has Beyond-Visual Range (BVR) capabilities, and carries AIM-120 missiles. Qatar’s Typhoons are expected to be equipped with Marte ER anti-ship missiles. 

The Rafale is another multi-role fighter and traces its origins back to the 1980s, when France used it to replace a number of different aircraft. It is smaller than the Typhoon but also features some 4+ generation features.

 The Rafale has not enjoyed as strong international sales as the Typhoon. Whereas the Eurofighter plane has been used by Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait, France has been the sole operator of the Rafale for most of its existence. This has begun to change recently first with the Qatar sale followed by agreements with Egypt and India.

It’s unclear what military missions Qatar envisions for this massive influx of firepower. Doha has shown a greater willingness in recent years to participate in some fashion in regional military coalitions like those against ISIS. This alone probably cannot account for why it is buying so many different types of aircraft that will be extremely difficult to integrate given the small size of its air force. In fact, there is strong speculation that Qatar might have to use foreign personnel to handle the new aircraft.

The rationale is probably driven at least as much by politics as any strategic considerations. Qatar is currently increasingly isolated in the region as a Saudi-led coalition of at least ten nations have cut off ties with Doha over its friendly relations with Iran and groups like Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Signing huge defense contracts with Western nations will make it more difficult for those nations to join in the Saudi campaign against Qatar. Despite the large price tag, this outcome is probably worth it for a country that boasts the largest per-capita-income in the world.