Qatar To Acquire Black Hawk Helicopters, Weapons Worth $1.1 Billion

Qatar has become the latest country in the Middle East to procure the Black Hawk helicopters. The country is looking to substantially improve its helicopter inventory by including 12 UH-60M Black Hawk Utility Helicopters into its military. At present, the Middle East operates a fleet 40 Black Hawk helicopters. Egypt operates 8 UH-60Ls and requested 4 UH-60Ms in 2009; Jordan has 9Uh-60Ls in service with 2 on order as of 2008, Saudi Arabia inducted 12 UH-60As in 2011 and UAE pressed 5 SA-70As in service as of 2011. Turkey, however, has the largest fleet of Black Hawks in the Middle East with 12 UH-60As, 95 UH-60L, 59 S-70As and has plans to procure 115 T-70 choppers. In addition to the choppers, the Government of Qatar has also requested the possible sale of 26 T700-GE-701D Engines (24 installed and 2 spares), 15 AN/AAR-57 V(7) Common Missile Warning Systems, 15 AN/AVR-2B Laser Detecting Sets, 15 AN/APR-39A(V)4 Radar Signal Detecting Sets, 26 M240H Machine Guns, and 26 AN/AVS-6 Night Vision Goggles. The list doesn’t end there: Qatar has also requested M206 infrared countermeasure flares, M211 and M212 Advanced Infrared Countermeasure Munitions (AIRCM) flares, M134D-H Machine Guns, system integration and air worthiness certification, simulators, generators, transportation, wheeled vehicles and organization equipment, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools and test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training and training equipment. The long list of equipment and weapons from the proposed sale will cost $1.112 billion. Sirkosky and General Electric Aircraft Company will be the prime contractors for the deal. At present, no offset agreement have been proposed.