Qatar inaugurates coastal missile defence system

The QENF inaugurates its new coastal missile defence system at the Al-Houl Naval Base. (Qatari Ministry of Defence)

The Qatar Emiri Naval Forces’ (QENF’s) new coastal anti-ship missile system was officially inaugurated by Minister of State for Defence Affairs Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah at the new Al-Houl Naval Base, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 23 February.

It provided no further details but released a short video clip showing components for the MBDA Exocet and Marte ER coastal anti-ship missile systems lined up at the base for the event.

The MBDA announced during the DIMDEX show held in Doha in March 2016 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Qatar that would pave the way for a EUR640 million (USD678.34 million) contract to supply the QENF with a coastal defence system with both the Exocet MM40 Block 3 and smaller Marte ER anti-ship missiles. The company confirmed in September 2016 that the contract had been signed.

Qatar is the first customer for the extended-range development of the Marte and has also ordered the air-launched version for use with its NH90 NFH helicopters.