Turkiye, Qatar establish joint air squadron 

Turkiye and Qatar have formed a joint air squadron in an effort to boost coordination, promote interoperability and enhance their mutual and regional security.

Last week, the Commander of the Turkish Air Force (THK) General Ziya Cemal Kadıoglu made a visit to Qatar’s Dukhan Air Base where he met with the Commander of the Qatari Emiri Air Forces, Staff Major General Jassim Bin Mohamed Al-Mannai.

The visit marked the establishment of the “Qatar-Turkey Joint Squadron”, according to Qatar’s Ministry of Defence, which saw the two commanders – accompanied by other senior officers from both sides – inspect “the work and training progress” and “the latest preparations and facilities”.

It came five years after Turkiye inaugurated the military base at a time when Qatar was under a blockade imposed on it by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt. During that almost four-year-long diplomatic crisis, Ankara was a major regional ally which stood by Doha, leading to stronger bilateral relations and enhanced coordination between the two, including in the defence sector and military cooperation.

Although that crisis has ended, the establishment of the Qatar-Turkiye Joint Squadron at that same air base signals the continued strengthening of the two allies’ cooperation. Both sides are reportedly set to benefit from the agreement, with the largely inexperienced Qatari fighter pilots – who now sit at the helm of an expanded fighter jet fleet – able to be trained by the more experienced and combat-ready Turkish fighter pilots.

TRT: Turkiye, Qatar activate agreement to deploy Qatar fighters in Turkiye