The Qatar Emiri Air Force is operating Hawks in its new training establishment at RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire. Derek Bower explains why
How the Gulf Emirate Qatar came to be using a Yorkshire airfield to deliver advanced flying training to its new pilots is an interesting story. With the strong support of its leader, His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Qatar has embarked on an unparalleled expansion of its air arm. Sheikh Tamim is a military man, having graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1998, before serving in the Qatar Armed Forces, then becoming deputy commander-in-chief in 2003; he also believed Qatar’s future lay in following its own path, and for this would need an expanded military.
