Minister of the Saudi National Guard Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, received Tuesday British Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle (photo) and her accompanying delegation.
During the reception, cordial conversations and topics of common interest were exchanged.
A number of senior officials attended the reception, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Earlier, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs HE Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah met with UK Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry Maria Eagle and her accompanying delegation in Doha on Monday.
The meeting covered topics of common concern in addition to relations between the two sides and the ways to enhance them. A lineup of senior officials and officers from both sides were present at the meeting, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
In another development, Queen Camilla, the Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, visited the Qatari-British Joint Squadron at the Leeming Air Base in the United Kingdom.
Queen Camilla was welcomed by Qatari Military Attaché to the United Kingdom Brigadier-General (Navy) Jarallah Hamad Al Nabet, Assistant Qatari Military Attaché to the United Kingdom Lieutenant Colonel (Pilot) Nasser Mohammed Al Kuwari, Deputy Commander of the Qatari-British Joint Squadron Captain (Pilot) Khalid Ayed Al Athba.
A number of senior officials and officers from both sides were also present, Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
The 11th Squadron is a flying squadron of the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF). The squadron most recently reformed in November 2021 as a joint QEAF/Royal Air Force squadron. It is currently based at RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom and operates nine BAE Systems Hawk Mk.167s. The unit provides advanced and high-speed jet training for both QEAF and RAF pilots.
11 Squadron was originally formed in 1984 as 11 (Close Air Support) Squadron at Doha International Air Base, Doha, operating six Dassault Alpha Jet Es. In 2017, the Qatar Emiri Air Force placed an order for six BAE Systems Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers, followed by an extra three in 2018, as a replacement for the Alpha Jet.
In October 2020, British Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace and Qatari Minister for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah agreed to establish Qatar’s new Hawk squadron at an RAF station as a joint Qatari-British unit.
This Joint Hawk Squadron was to be based upon similar lines as No. 12 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, which reformed as a joint RAF-QEAF squadron to train Qatari pilots on the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2018.
On 1 April 2021, it was announced the Joint Hawk Squadron would be based at RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom.
On 1 September 2021, the first two Hawk Mk.167s (ZB131 and ZB133) for the Joint Hawk Squadron were delivered to RAF Leeming. The first four QEAF pilots began training in October 2021, with RAF student pilots planned to start their training with the unit in 2022.
On 24 November 2021, the Joint Hawk Squadron was formally given the number plate of 11 Squadron (Qatar) when it reformed at RAF Leeming.
11 Squadron received its full complement of nine Hawk Mk.167s when the last two (ZB138 and ZB139) were delivered to Leeming on 29 September 2022. The first batch of Qatari students graduated in November 2022. (SPA; QNA; Wikipedia; Photo © SPA)
