Qatar received its first French-made RAFAL jetliner on Wednesday, following a deal with French aircraft maker Dassault in May 2015.
The Qatar Airways Qatar Airways (QA 202) is the first aircraft to be received by the Qatari Air Force from the 36 Rafal aircraft signed by Qatar.
The ceremony was held at the headquarters of Dassault in Bordeaux, France. In a speech, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Khaled bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah called the "Aladiyat" on the Rafal fighter squadron, after mentioning the name of Al-Adiyat in the Holy Quran. In battles.
The deal, signed between Qatar and France, was to provide Qatari forces with 24 fighter jets worth $ 7 billion, before Doha activated a clause in the deal and increased demand for 12 aircraft. The deal included the training of 36 Qatari pilots and 100 technicians by experts from the French army.
The French Air Force introduced the two-engine Raval fighter in 2004, and France had previously signed deals with Qatar for sale of Mirage F1, Alpha and Mirage 2000.
After years of failure to sell Rafale fighters to other countries, Paris finally closed a deal to sell 24 of them to Egypt in 2015, expecting a sale deal with Qatar. In September 2016, India signed a deal to buy 36 Rafale fighters.