

Support personnel were on varying rotations but not as often generally as the squadron personnel. Squadron personnel were on a two-month rotation at RAF Al Udeid with the remainder of the force on a four-month rotation. The RAF aircraft were accompanied by nearly 400 personnel, of which approximately 130 were aircraft engineers while the remaining 270 were active in support and operation management roles. They were chosen for their currency and up-to-date modification state. British Tornados were equipped with a range of stores, including the Vicon Recce Pod, LITENING targeting pod, 1000 lb HE bombs, Paveway II and Paveway III laser-guided bombs, and the RAPTOR Recce Pod. These included 6 to 8 Tornado GR4 aircraft drawn from different parts of the Royal Air Force as well as multiple Vickers VC10 from the No. Royal Air Force history īetween 20 the airbase was used by the BritishRoyal Air Force with transport and fast-jet aircraft to support Operation Telic (Iraq War) and Operation Herrick (War in Afghanistan). air operations in countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of operations, and oversees U.S. Īl Udeid and other facilities in Qatar serve as logistics, command, and basing hubs for the U.S. Combat Air Operations Center for the Middle East moved from Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia to what was then a backup headquarters built a year prior in Qatar that was viewed as a more congenial location for basing U.S. In April 2003, shortly after the start of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the U.S. The official acknowledgement of the base came in March 2002, when Vice President Dick Cheney stopped there during a trip to the region with a group of reporters. Kingdoms, including Qatar, cover 60 percent of the costs, around $650 million. Fifth Fleet is in Bahrain and has 28,000 military personnel in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. has nearly 40,000 military personnel in the Middle East. first used the then-secret base in late September 2001, when the Air Force needed to get aircraft in position for its operations in Afghanistan. In 1996, Qatar built Al Udeid Air Base at the cost of more than $1 billion.

Al Udeid Air Base (Arabic:قاعدة العديد الجوية) is a military base southwest of Doha, Qatar, also known as Abu Nakhlah Airport (Arabic:مطار أبو نخلة).
