Since June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have diplomatically isolated Qatar, accusing the emirate of supporting Islamist extremists and of being too close to Shiite Iran, Riyadh's arch-rival. There are heightened tensions in the Gulf, where a Saudi-led boycott of Qatar is in its seventh month. Sunday's deal comes at a politically sensitive time for both countries. Qatar is the ninth country to sign a deal for Typhoon jets, said London. The deal also includes an intention for Qatar to buy further military equipment from Britain, namely the purchase of Hawk aircraft.Ī memorandum of understanding was signed by the two countries for this Typhoon contract in September. 'These formidable jets will boost the Qatari military's mission to tackle the challenges we both share in the Middle East, supporting stability in the region and delivering security at home,' said the British minister. Williamson said it was the biggest order for Typhoons in a decade, and it follows a billion-dollar deal signed by Qatar on December 7 to buy 12 French Dassault Aviation warplanes. 198 Squadron based at Thorney Island are taking to the air as part of the massive.

The $8-billion (6.8-billion-euro) deal was signed in Doha by Qatar's Defence Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah and his British counterpart, Gavin Williamson. Operation Overlord has now been launched and the Typhoons of No. Qatar signed a multi-billion-dollar deal Sunday to buy 24 Typhoon fighters from Britain, its second major defence agreement this week, which comes during the worst political crisis in the region for years.

British typhoon fighter