The Qatari Emiri Navy , also called the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces , is the naval branch of the armed forces of the State of Qatar.
History
The State of Qatar did not possess any ships originally upon gaining independence from the United Kingdom in 1971, but by 1992 the country's armed forces had grown considerably, and included a navy of about 700 personnel. Three La Combattante III missile boats from France formed the core of the Qatari fleet in the 1990s, later seeing the addition of six Vosper Thornycroft large patrol boats. By 2010 it increased in size to about 1,800 personnel, and has taken part in multiple naval exercises with the United States Navy and other countries.
Organization
Unable to support a large military, Qatar relies on a smaller mobile force that can quickly repel incursions into its territorial waters. However, the Iran–Iraq War saw attacks on shipping just outside the country's territorial waters, underscoring its vulnerability. Despite the expansion the Qatar Emiri Navy remains too under-manned, under-trained, and under-equipped to be able to effectively defend its waters as well as the commercial assets in it. The Qatar Navy includes its coast guard, marine police and coastal artillery.
Ships
The Qatari navy currently has the following ships:
The patrol boat program calls for the delivery of six patrol boats with the first unit beginning construction in 2012 and being delivered by 2014. Although the proposals for the corvette program are due in the near-term as well, AMI believes that the four corvettes may not begin construction for several more years as Damen/Nakilat may want to gain some experience with the smaller 62-meter patrol boat hulls prior to moving on the larger Sigma hulls. If the QENF wishes to move the corvette program forward to an earlier date, it could start some of the hull blocks at Nakilat and/or at Damen in the Netherlands much earlier. The Qatar Coast Guard Services placed an order for 17 new fast patrol boast from Turkish company ARES Shipyard. The deal of 17 vessels consists in ten "ARES 110 Hercules" multi-role patrol craft 117 tons, five "ARES 75 Hercules" multi-role patrol craft 58 tons and two "ARES 150 Hercules" multi-role patrol craft 245 tons. These fast patrol boats will be constructed using advanced composite materials and are expected to be completed within the next five years. On March 31, 2014, Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar and Qatar Armed Forces signed two MoUs for the construction of seven vessels at Qatar's premier shipyard. The MoUs signed by NDSQ and Qatar Armed Forces concern six -long axe-bow high-speed patrol vessels and one -long diving support vessel for the Qatar Armed Forces. The diving support vessel includes decompression capabilities. A large Integrated Logistic Support package is also mentioned in the MoUs. On June 16, 2016, Qatar has signed a letter of agreement with Italian shipyard Fincantieri to build:
1 landing helicopter dock with a helicopter deck and hangar. Weapons: 1 Oto Melara 76 mm, two 30 mm guns, 16-cell VLS for Aster 30 surface-to-air missiles, 8 Exocet MM40 Block III anti-ship missiles, and a RAM launcher with 21 RIM-116 short range rolling airframe missiles. First keel laid by Fincantieri in November 2018.
2 offshore patrol boats. Weapons: 1 Oto Melara 76 mm, 2 30 mm guns, 8-cell VLS for VL MICA short range surface-to-air missiles and 4 Exocet MM40 Block III anti-ship missiles.
The deal has a worth of €4.9 billion. On December 19, 2017, the Qatari Navy is said to be going ahead with plans to reinforce its underwater capabilities including the possibility of acquiring light submarines. The Qatar Emiri Naval Forces have ordered two cadet training ships from Turkish shipbuilder Anadolu Shipyard. According to Anadolu Shipyard, the vessels will displace 1,950 tonnes and feature a helipad for a medium-size helicopter. The vessels are also set to be capable of performing offshore patrol duties. In February 2020, Qatar had a memorandum of understanding with Italian defense company Fincantieri, to acquire submarines and aircraft carriers, based on a 5-billion-euro deal signed in 2017.
