RAF creates first joint squadron with another nation since the Second World War

Michael Stephens, a Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said: “British Aerospace has been pursuing Typhoon sales across the Gulf states for years and the Qatar crisis has been a boon in terms of locking in a sale. “But it’s less political than it seems. The driver here is primarily financial, rather than saying ‘we’re choosing this side over and another side’. If the UK could, it would sell Typhoon to all six Gulf states.”