Pentagon says Qatari F-15 fighter jet pilots to train at US base in Idaho
The announcement comes as the Trump administration has moved to reward Qatar for facilitating talks to end the Gaza war.
WASHINGTON — The US Air Force plans to train alongside Qatari F-15 pilots at a new Qatari facility in Idaho, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said following a meeting with the Gulf emirate’s defense minister at the Pentagon on Friday.
“Today, we’re signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emiri Air Force facility at the Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho,” Hegseth said alongside Qatar’s Defense Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
“The location will … host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase lethality, interoperability. It’s just another example of our partnership,” Hegseth said.
A US defense official speaking to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said the new facility would be funded through the foreign military sales process — meaning Qatar’s government would pay for it, and the US would hire contractors to construct it.
