BEIRUT — Addressing American armed forces stationed at Al Udeid air base in Qatar, US President Donald Trump detailed some of the platforms he said Doha was planning to pursue as part of a $42 billion investment in high-end US equipment, including air defense systems, tankers, land vehicles and armed drones.
“Yesterday we signed an agreement for Qatar to purchase $42 billion-worth of the finest American military hardware including THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Area Defense] missile batteries, Pegasus [KC-46] refueling aircraft, Desert Vipers, light armored vehicles, amphibious combat vehicles, the MQ-9B and the Sky Guardian drones,” Trump said today in his speech at the base. (MQ-9B a designation for Sky Guardian.)
Trump also said that “Qatar will also be investing $10 billion to support this massive base [Al Udeid] in the coming years. There is no place like it they say.”
The listing of specific platforms comes after the White House announced on Wednesday that the US and Qatar had signed a “statement of intent” that outlined $38 billion in “potential investments, including support for burden-sharing at Al Udeid Air Base and future defense capabilities related to air defense and maritime security.” Built in 1996, Al Udeid is the largest US military base in the Middle East and hosts about 10,000 troops.
The MQ-9B plans were included in Wednesday’s announcement, with the White House putting the price tag for that purchase of the General Atomics-made aircraft, munitions and related equipment at nearly $2 billion. It had also announced Qatar would purchase some $1 billion-worth of Raytheon counter-drone technology.
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In a statement Lockheed Martin welcomed Trump’s announcement, “which paves the way for Qatar to procure the THAAD System,” adding, “We look forward to the continued collaboration and consultation with Qatari officials and the US government to bring a combat proven Upper-Tier Integrated Air and Missile Defense capability to Qatar.”
The air defense system, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at a range of 150-200 kilometers (up to 124 miles), was deployed by the US to Israel in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. From a regional perspective, Qatar is in line to become the third Middle East customer of the weapons system behind the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
As for the MQ-9s, General Atomics spokesman C. Mark Brinkley told Breaking Defense, “The Letter of Acceptance signed today in Qatar will provide eight MQ-9B SeaGuardians to that nation, and further extend the growing list of international customers using that platform around the world. Qatar has been a strong ally to the United States, and we’re eager to support them.”
He highlighted that the “defense initiatives recently announced by the White House across the Middle East is welcome news that is long overdue, and General Atomics looks forward to supporting those efforts.”
As Trump lands in the UAE flying from Qatar, all eyes will be on what additional defense deals are likely to be announced, especially if they involve talk of F-35s.