The $4.5 billion package would add aerial refuelling capability to the Qatar Emiri Air Force.
American regulators have approved the export of Boeing KC-46 aerial refuelling jets to Qatar.
The US Department of State published its endorsement of the request from Doha on 20 August, approving the sale of four aircraft at a value of $4.5 billion.
The package includes Pratt & Whitney PW4062 engines and spares for each jet, along with the Northrop Grumman Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasure (LAIRCM) missile protection system.
“The proposed sale will increase Qatar’s capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing its defence capabilities and interoperability with US and allied forces and reinforcing Qatar’s strategic role in regional security,” the state department says.
Washington further describes Qatar as a strategic regional partner that “has been and continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East”.
If Doha moves forward with the deal, Qatar would become the fourth KC-46 customer globally, joining the US Air Force, Israel and Japan.
Qatar has one of the largest air forces in the Middle East, with an inventory of tactical fighters that includes the Eurofighter Typhoon (24), Dassault Mirage F1 (36) and the Boeing F-15QA (48).
The latter type was the basis for Boeing’s latest F-15EX design, which is in active production for the US Air Force and Israel.
The Qatar Emiri Air Force does not currently have an aerial refuelling capability.
Doha previously announced its intent to field the Airbus A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) to meet that need, but a contract order was never definitised. Fleets data from aviation analytics company Cirium lists two MRTT options from the QEAF as having lapsed without being exercised in 2019.
In a 2020 interview, an Airbus official told FlightGlobal the Qatar sale fell through as the result of the pandemic economic downturn and resulting collapse in oil prices.
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