Turkiye and Qatar have signed a military training and transportation agreement. The agreement permits Qatar to send up to 36 military aircraft and not more than 250 personnel to Turkiye for training. The agreement also allows Qatar to transport Turkish military equipment, material, dangerous goods, ammunition, personnel or humanitarian aid materials on domestic and abroad flights. The key elements can be considered as articles nine and ten. Article nine “the Implementation and Procedures, “training flights of Qatar inside Turkiye are to be conducted during air transportation missions as much as possible.” Article ten says, “in case of a support requirement of (Turkey), (Qatar) is to avail of its other type of aircraft in (Qatar’s) inventory for transportation of (Turkey’s) military equipment, material, dangerous goods, ammunition, personnel or humanitarian aid materials, if it is deemed suitable by the competent authority of Qatar.”
Qatar aircraft may use another airfield or base temporarily for training, exercise or transport of materials in coordination with Turkiye, according to article 11.
Turkiye also requires Qatar to allow one of its transport pilots to be inside the cockpit of a Qataris transportation aircraft sortie. At least one Turkish loadmaster will also be inside the same aircraft to handle administrative work.
According to unconfirmed information, Qatar will deploy its 12 Rafale fighter jet, 9 Mirage 2000-5EDA/DDA fighter jet, 4 C-17A Globemaster III Strategic Airlifter, 4 C-130J-30 tactical airlifter. 7 AW-139 General Purpose Helicopter in Turkiye.
Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF) has 24 French Rafale aircraft, 12 French Mirage 2000-5 aircraft, 8 C-17A Globemaster III, 4 C-130J-30, 39 AW-139 General Purpose helicopters in the inventory. The country has also ordered 36 x F-15QA and 24 x Eurofighter Typhoon.
It can be assumed that French aircraft will serve as an aggressor fleet to simulate Hellenic Air Force as they are the backbone of the force beside F-16 and F-4 aircraft. Boeing’s Airlifters may carry Leopard 2 A4 or M60 tanks in the Turkish Armed Forces inventory anywhere in the world.
