| Unit Name: | Qatari Emiri Navy |
| Country: |  Qatar |
| Branch: | Navy |
| Role: | Protection of Qatari territorial waters and oil rigs |
| Size: | 2,500 personnel[1] |
| Command Structure: | Qatar Armed Forces |
| Garrison: | |
| Garrison Label: | Base locations |
| Equipment: |
|
| Commander1: | Maj. Gen. Abdullah Hassan Al-Sulaiti[2] |
| Commander1 Label: | Chief of Staff |
| Identification Symbol Label: | Naval ensign |
The Qatari Emiri Navy (Arabic: البحرية الأميري القطرية|Al-Bahriyah Al-Amiriyah Al-Qatariyah) (QEN), also called the Qatari Emiri Naval Forces (QENF), is the naval branch of the armed forces of the State of Qatar.
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.[3]
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.
The current fleet of the Qatari Emiri Navy is as follows:
| Class or name | Image | Builder | Type | Year entered service | Details | Ships | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corvette | |||||||
| [4] | Fincantieri, Muggiano, | Corvette | 4 in service | 4 x 107-metre long corvette built by Fincantieri. Armament : | Al Khor (F103) | ||
| Offshore patrol vessel | |||||||
| [5] | Fincantieri, Muggiano, | Offshore patrol vessel | 2 in service | 2 x 63-metre-long offshore patrol vessels built by Fincantieri. Armament : | |||
| Ares 150 Hercules class[6] | Ares Shipyard, Antalya, | Offshore patrol vessel | Expected 2020 | 2 x 48-metre offshore patrol vessels by Ares Shipyard. Armament :
| QC 901QC 902 | ||
| Fast attack craft | |||||||
| Damsah class[7] | CMN, Cherbourg, | Fast attack craft | 1982–1983(Active) | 3 x 56-metre fast attack craft built by Constructions Mécaniques de Normandie. Armament :
| Damsah (Q01) Al Ghariyah (Q02) Rbigah (Q03) | ||
| Barzan class[8] | Vosper Thornycroft, Southampton, | Fast attack craft | 1996–1997(Active) | 4 x 56-metre fast attack craft built by Vosper Thornycroft. Armament : | Barzan (Q04) Huwar (Q05) Al Udied (Q06) Al Deebeel (Q07) | ||
| MRTP 34 class[9] | Yonca-Onuk, Istanbul, | Fast attack craft | 2013(Active) | 3 x 40-metre fast attack craft built by Yonca-Onuk. Armament :
| Q31 Q32 Q33 | ||
| MRTP 24/U class | Yonca-Onuk, Istanbul, | Fast attack craft | 2018 (Active) | 4 x 26.3-metre fast attack craft built by Yonca-Onuk. Also used as special operation craft. Armament :
| |||
| MRTP 24/U class | Yonca-Onuk, Istanbul, | Fast attack craft | 2018 (Active) | 4 x 26.3-metre fast missile craft built by Yonca-Onuk. Armament :
| |||
| MRTP 20 class | Yonca-Onuk, Istanbul, | Fast attack craft | (Active) | 10 x 22.55-metre fast attack craft built by Yonca-Onuk. Armament :
| |||
| MRTP 16 class[10] | Yonca-Onuk, Istanbul, | Fast attack craft | 2012(Active) | 3 x 17.7-metre fast attack craft built by Yonca-Onuk. Armament :
| Q49 | ||
| Amphibious warfare ship | |||||||
| Al Fulk | Fincantieri | Landing Platform Dock /Helicopter Carrier | (Active) | Armament :
| Helicopter
| ||
| Robha class | Landing ship tank | (Active) | 1 x landing ship tank. | Can load 3 × MBTs and 100 men. | |||
| Landing ship utility | (Active) | 4 x landing ship utility. | |||||
| Support ship | (Active) | 1 x support ship. | |||||
| Training ship | |||||||
| Al Doha class | Anadolu Shipyard, | Training ship | Expected 2021[11] | 2 x 90-metre training ships. | Al Doha (QTS 91) Al Shamal (QTS 92) | ||
The patrol boat program called 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 were due in the near-term as well, AMI believed 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.[12]
The Qatar Coast Guard Services placed an order for 17 new fast patrol boats from the 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.[13]
On 31 March 2014, Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) and Qatar Armed Forces signed two MoUs for the construction of seven vessels at Qatar's premier shipyard ($851 million). The MoUs signed by NDSQ and Qatar Armed Forces concern six 50abbr=onNaNabbr=on-long axe-bow high-speed patrol vessels and one 52abbr=onNaNabbr=on-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.[14]
On 16 June 2016, Qatar has signed a letter of agreement with Italian shipyard Fincantieri to build:
The deal has a worth of €4.9 billion.[18]
On 19 December 2017, the Qatari Navy was said to be going ahead with plans to reinforce its underwater capabilities including the possibility of acquiring light submarines.[19]
The Qatar Emiri Naval Forces ordered two cadet training ships (CTS) 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.[20]
In February 2020, Qatar had a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Italian defense company Fincantieri, to acquire submarines and aircraft carriers,[21] based on a 5-billion-euro deal signed in 2017.[22]