Selon une note de DefenseNews du 19 juillet dernier, l'Émirat du Qatar envisagerait
sérieusement se doter d'une flotte d'avions de combat comparable à ses voisins
Bahreinis et Kowétiens soit une quarantaine d'avions de combat.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4713226&c=FEA&s=CVS
Après 4 x Hawker Hunters, remplacés par 6 x AlphaJet et 12 x Mirage F-1
remplacés par la suite par 12 x Mirage 2000 il me semble que de passer
d'un coup d'une flotte de 12 à 40 avions de combat est pour le moins
surprenant.
Admettons toutefois que l'Iran d'Amhedinejad n'est pas très rassurante.
Moi je penserait plutôt qu'une commande initiale de 24 appareils serait plus
réaliste avec peut être une ou deux options pour des tranches additionnelles
de 12 appareils chacun mais quarante cellules d'un coup ? J'en doute !
Chose certaine le Rafale va être dans les rangs pour cette compétition
et je crois la France bien positionnée au Qatar :
Dossier intéressant à suivre Qatar has asked a number of leading manufacturers to respond with proposals for an upgrade of its fighter fleet near the end of this month.
This latest battle for supremacy in the Gulf fighter market is likely to involve BAE Systems with the Eurofighter Typhoon, Boeing offering the F/A-18 E/F, Dassault with its Rafale, Lockheed Martin with the F-16 and Saab offering the Gripen NG. It is not clear whether other manufacturers will submit proposals.
In Europe, a BAE spokeswoman confirmed the company would respond to the Qatari request.
Dassault was not available for comment.
Saab declined to comment.
In the U.S., a Boeing spokesman said his company had "shared information" with Qatar.
A Lockheed Martin spokeswoman confirmed it was in "dialogue with Qatar regarding options concerning the defense of their country" but said any questions about a potential F-16 sale were for the U.S. and Qatari governments.
Qatar has a delegation scheduled to visit the Farnborough Air Show in the U.K. this week, where many of the potential contenders will have aircraft on display.
A senior BAE executive told reporters July 13 that the Qatar requirement could eventually be for as many as 40 aircraft.
Rival company executives called that estimate extremely high and said the order was more likely to be around half that number.
The small Gulf nation intends to replace 12 Dassault Mirage 2000s jets operated by the Air Force. The Qataris also have six French-supplied Alpha Jet trainers, which double up in a close-air support role.
The fighter procurement is likely to be followed by the purchase of modern trainer aircraft, which could see platform suppliers such as Alenia Aermacchi, BAE and Pilatus vying for a deal.
While the French are the incumbent supplier of combat aircraft, U.S. fighter makers Boeing and Lockheed Martin have recently won orders to add C-17s and C-130s to Qatar's airlifter fleet.
The Qataris join regional allies - the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia - in buying or considering upgrades to their fast jet fleets.
The Saudis are taking deliveries of 72 Typhoons and weighing the prospect of buying a second tranche later in the decade.
Dassault is at an advanced stage of talks with the UAE, which may partially fund the development of an upgraded version of the Rafale, and then buy the aircraft.
Oman has committed to buying the Typhoon from BAE. The British Eurofighter partner said July 13 that it was ramping up negotiations with the hope of getting the deal signed within 12 months
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20100719/DEFFEAT04/7190302/Qatar-Seeks-Up-to-40-Fighter-Jets