Qatar continues its race for air power. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Boeing Defense, Space, & Security company a $6,173,500,000 undefinitized contract action contract for the F-15 Qatar program. FMS funds in the amount of $3,019,750,000 are being obligated at the time of award. This sole source contract provides for the foreign military sales (FMS) requirement to procure 36 new F-15QA aircraft for the Qatar Emiri Air Force. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri, with an expected completion date of Dec. 30, 2022. Qatar has already finalized contracts for the procurement of 36 Rafale fighters from France and 24 Typhoons from the UK. The 36 F-15QA will bring the fighter fleet of the Qatari Emiri Air Force to 96 aircraft by the mid-2020s.
Boeing Awarded US$6 Billion to Build 36 Eagles for Qatar
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Elbit Systems Introduces a New Tactical UAS: the Hermes 650 Spark
Elbit Systems has rolled out the Hermes 650 Spark, the latest addition to its Hermes family of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS). Spark is designed to be the contemporary successor to the long-serving Hermes 450, aiming to modernize UAS fleets that currently consist of mixed 450/900 models or are exclusively equipped with the 450 variants.