Huge military buildup underway in Qatar Qatar has announced a series of multi-billion dollar defence purchases, as the Gulf state adds more aircraft, ships and military vehicles to its arsenal amid a bitter diplomatic dispute with its regional neighbours $20 billion Contracts signed since June 2017 for 96 fighter jets – set to replace Qatar’s fleet of just 12 ageing Mirage 2000s Aircraft on order: 36 U.S. F-15QA Advanced Eagle fighter-bombers, 24 Typhoons from UK and 36 French-built Rafales (option for 36 more) 28 NH90 medium-lift and 16 Airbus H125 light helicopters $3.7bn NH90 built by European consortium NHIndustries Six Bayraktar TB2 armed unmanned aircraft from Turkey MBDA Marte ER anti-ship missiles for NH90 naval variant Armoured vehicles: 490 French VBCIs, plus 85 BMC and 214 NMS 4x4s built by Turkey Nexter VBCI $5.9bn Seven ships built by Italy EGYPT ARABIA SAUDI BAHRAIN UAE QATAR Cut diplomatic ties with Qatar Kalaat Beni Abbes Algerian ship similar to Qatar’s LPD Warships: Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard building one LPD (landing platform dock) amphibious ship, four corvettes and two patrol vessels. Turkey also supplying patrol boats Source: IHS Jane’s Pictures: Newscom, Getty Images, Wikimedia, Flickr © GRAPHIC NEWS