11 Squadron is a flying squadron of the

Qatar Emiri Air Force The Qatar Emiri Air Force ( ar, القوات الجوية الأميرية القطرية , Al-Quwwat Al-Jawiyah Al-Amiriyah Al-Qatariyah) (QEAF) is the air arm of the Qatar Armed Forces, armed forces of the state of Qatar. It was established in ...

(QEAF). The squadron most recently reformed in November 2021 as a joint QEAF/

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

squadron. It is currently based at

RAF Leeming Royal Air Force Leeming or RAF Leeming is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station located near Leeming, North Yorkshire, England. It was opened in 1940 and was jointly used by the RAF and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Between 1950 and 1991, it ...

, North Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom and operates nine BAE Systems Hawk Mk.167s. The unit provides advanced and high-speed jet training for both QEAF and RAF pilots.

History

Close Air Support

11 Squadron was originally formed in 1984 as 11 (Close Air Support) Squadron at Doha International Air Base, Doha, operating six Dassault Alpha Jet Es. In 2017, the

placed an order for six BAE Systems Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers, followed by an extra three in 2018, as a replacement for the Alpha Jet.

Training

In October 2020, British

Secretary of State for Defence The secretary of state for defence, also referred to as the defence secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the business of the Ministry of Defence. The incumbent is a membe ...

Ben Wallace and Qatari Minister for Defence Affairs

Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah ( ar, خالد بن محمد العطية; born 9 March 1967) is a Qatari politician who was minister of foreign affairs from June 2013 to January 2016. He has been minister of state for defense since January 2016. ...

agreed to establish Qatar's new Hawk squadron at an RAF station as a joint Qatari-British unit. This Joint Hawk Squadron was to be based upon similar lines as No. 12 Squadron of the

, which reformed as a joint RAF-QEAF squadron to train Qatari pilots on the

Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...

in 2018. On 1 April 2021, it was announced the Joint Hawk Squadron would be based at

, North Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom. On 1 September 2021, the first two Hawk Mk.167s (''ZB131'' and ''ZB133'') for the Joint Hawk Squadron were delivered to RAF Leeming. The first four QEAF pilots began training in October 2021, with RAF student pilots planned to start their training with the unit in 2022. On 24 November 2021, the Joint Hawk Squadron was formally given the numberplate of 11 Squadron (Qatar) when it reformed at RAF Leeming. 11 Squadron received its full complement of nine Hawk Mk.167s when the last two (''ZB138'' and ''ZB139'') were delivered to Leeming on 29 September 2022. The first batch of Qatari students graduated in November 2022.

References

{{reflist Military of Qatar Flight training in the United Kingdom Military units and formations established in 2021