Kuwait and Qatar fighter deals approved by State

The State Department approved the sale of fighters to Kuwait and Qatar, pending Congressional approval. This is big news for Boeing, as it will keep the F-18 and F-15 lines going for several more years. The sale to Kuwait is for 32 F-18E single seat aircraft, and 8 F-18F two seat aircraft. They will be equipped with conformal fuel tanks according to some sources, along with F414-GE-400 engines, and APG-79 AESA radars. The deal with Qatar is for 72 F-15QA aircraft, ground training, lead in pilot training, ground, maintenance, spares, simulators, and more. The Kuwait order is worth approximately $10.1B, and the deal with Qatar is worth over $21B.

The deal with Bahrain, for F-16s is still moving forward. Lockheed needs that deal to keep the F-16 line going past the end of next year. The F-35 line has expanded but the F-16 line is down to almost single digits of aircraft left to build for existing orders. Lockheed has offered the aircraft to multiple countries for recent fighter competitions.

Pending Congressional approval, the sales of 72 Boeing F-15QA Strike Eagles to Qatar and 40 F/A-18Es and F/A-18Fs Super Hornets to Kuwait are expected to go through, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced this week.

The Qatar and Kuwait sales could help save Boeing’s Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler line at its St. Louis, Missouri facility, which has slowed production of the aircraft to two per month. The Kuwait sale would extend the F/A-18 line through mid-2018 and combined with orders from the US Navy, Boeing would continue building two Super Hornets per month into the 2020s, Boeing officials told reporters in September.

US Air Force acquisition officials expected the fighter deals would have wrapped up two years ago, but interagency delays slowed down the process, Heidi Grant the USAF’s under-secretary of international affairs, told reporters at an Air Force Association event outside Washington this week.

www.flightglobal.com...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2016 - The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Qatar for F-15QA aircraft with weapons and related support, equipment, and training. The estimated cost is $21.1 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale on November 17, 2016.

The Government of Qatar requested to purchase seventy-two (72) F-15QA multi-role fighter aircraft and associated weapons package; the provision for continental United States based Lead-in-Fighter-Training for the F-15QA; associated ground support; training materials; mission critical resources and maintenance support equipment; the procurement for various weapon support and test equipment spares; technical publications; personnel training; simulators and other training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering; technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The estimated total program value is $21.1 billion.

This proposed sale enhances the foreign policy and national security of the United State by helping to improve the security of a friendly country and strengthening our strategically important relationship. Qatar is an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Persian Gulf region. Our mutual defense interests anchor our relationship and the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) plays a predominant role in Qatar's defense.

www.dsca.mil...

Yep, thatll keep the pot boiling a little longer....
But what if they pay in US Treasuries?

a reply to: Snippythehorse

well, we gotta keep em fighting each other over there so that they are too busy fighting each other over there that they don`t come over here blowing up more buildings.

I am so amazed that Qatar has a need for 75 F-15's. I think that is 1 aircraft for every member of the royal family? I suppose that like Saudi Arabia they will have to have some amount of foreigners flying them.

a reply to: Fools

The attrition rate in some of those nations is extremely high as they're learning the ropes. Unlike other nations they don't have an agreement to bring pilots to the US for training.

Nothing good can come from this. But I would like sideline tickets to watch . . . it should be hilarious. Seriously, I've met most of the guys that Kuwait would have flying these things (and they are in their positions from family ties not talent) and it won't be pretty.

The good news though is that these are two of the likely countries to fight back if Iran went off the deep end (for all of about two weeks before they are decimated completely).

Saw another link here.


www.defensenews.com...

This is turning out to be an interesting deal. Kuwait will buy 28 F-18 Super Hornets, contingent on Boeing buying back their older aircraft. The cost of the deal is not to exceed $5B, but details won't be released until after the contract is signed.

a reply to: Zaphod58

What's Boeing going to do with those? Recondition, then sell 'em in a used Fighter lot?

Be a pretty cool test drive!

a reply to: seagull

Buy them back, sell them to Canada for twice the cost to bolster Canada's bug fleet. Canada will think they are getting a ripping deal and Boeing will make out like a bandit.

a reply to: Sammamishman

I was just about to say, put them through the C+ upgrade the Marine birds are going through and get them up north for a killer deal.

They should be in good shape corrosion wise flying around the desert, no?

a reply to: seagull

Put them through a SLEP, fix any issues they may have, which shouldn't be many, and sell them to a nation with a lower budget, or someone looking to add to their existing fleet. If they can't sell them, they'll most likely end up in AMARG and get parted out.