RAF flight declares ‘Squawk’ alert during flight
With the World Cup due to start at the end of the year, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has announced that the RAF and Royal Navy will play a major role in regional security. The event will be the first of its kind held in West Asia, with fans expected to flock to the tiny Persian Gulf state to support their team.
Speaking on the news, Mr Wallace said the aim of deploying the British assets will be to “ensure that people around the world can enjoy the World Cup, Britain and Qatar will join forces to ensure air police in the sky above the tournament. .
He said; “I am delighted that our joint squadron with the Qatari Emirati Air Force Typhoons will be patrolling the airspace during the tournament.”
In addition to sky patrols, specialist search teams will assist with site verification, operational planning and command and control support.
Additional maritime patrols will also be carried out by the Royal Navy around the Persian Gulf peninsula state.
RAF Typhoons will patrol the skies during the World Cup (Image: Getty)
Qatar World Cup to be held in West Asia for the first time (Image: Getty)
Qatar is the only ally with which Britain currently shares joint squadrons.
Dual units include 11 Squadron Qatari Emiri Air Force, Joint Hawk Training Squadron at RAF Leeming and 12 Squadron, Joint Typhoon Squadron at RAF Coningsby.
In 2017, the gas-rich state purchased 24 BAE Systems Typhoons, along with 9 Hawk jet trainers.
In addition to hardware, Doha has also purchased operational assistance in the form of a bespoke training and assistance program.
The deal, which brought in £6 billion, also included MBDA weapons and missile systems.
Speaking about the deal at the time, the Ministry of Defense said: “The agreement is a demonstration of our strong defense relationship and further strengthens the ability of the UK and Qatar to meet our common security challenges. .”
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Ben Wallace said he was proud of the partnership (Image: Getty)
Qatar bought 24 Typhoons from Britain (Image: Getty)
Qatar has not been without controversy over safety and security.
In 2017, a huge diplomatic crisis erupted in the region when a Saudi-led coalition imposed a blockade on Qatar.
Riyadh alleged that Qatar had been responsible for financing terrorism linked to Al-Qaeda and Daesh.
Doha has vehemently denied these allegations.
The blockade has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar and blocked their airspace to hugely successful and globally acclaimed Qatar Airways.
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Qatar suffered a blockade by a Saudi-led coalition, including a ban on the use of airspace (Image: Getty)
In addition, criticism is pouring in on workers’ rights in Qatar.
A shocking report by The Guardian has revealed that up to 6,500 migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have died in Qatar since it won the right to host the FIFA Cup. world.
The Qatari government claims that the number of deaths – which it does not dispute – is proportional to the size of the migrant workforce and that the figures include white-collar workers who died naturally after living in Qatar for many years. years.
It also indicates that only 20% of expatriates in the countries in question are employed in construction and that work-related deaths in this sector represent less than 10% of deaths within this group.
A Qatari government spokesperson said: “The death rate among these communities is within the expected range for population size and demographics. However, every life lost is a tragedy, and no effort is spared in trying to prevent every death in our country.
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RAF Typhoons also take part in joint NATO operations in North Macedonia (Image: Getty)
On a larger scale, the RAF was heavily involved in various other joint operations.
RAF Typhoons deployed to Romania, as part of Operation Biloxi, flew to neighboring North Macedonia to take part in Exercise Swift Response as part of a joint NATO programme.
The Typhoons, from the 3rd (Fighter) Squadron, are currently based at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania as part of the 140th Air Expeditionary Wing, providing air policing and enhanced vigilance alongside the Army of the United States. Romanian Air Force and on behalf of NATO.
During the exercise, the Typhoons joined more than 40 other aircraft operating over the Krivolak training area in North Macedonia.
The RAF Typhoons flew a simulated strike coordination and reconnaissance sortie, as well as close air support training with two British Army Air Task Force 1 AH-64 Apache aircraft.
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Source: www.express.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-30 10:04:00
