12 October 2022

Qatar shows new naval special forces training centre

by Jeremy Binnie

A still from the video released by the Qatari MoD shows a soldier rappelling from a tower with a simulated NH90 helicopter at the new special forces training centre. The simulated ship can be seen in the background. (Qatari Ministry of Defence)

Qatar's new naval special forces training facility has been completed and is now being used, a video released by the emirate's Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 9 October confirmed.

The video did not identify the facility, but it matches one that satellite imagery shows has been built on the eastern side of the Bay of Zekreet in western Qatar. It is close to another facility on the other side of the bay where special forces training was earlier shown being conducted.

It largely matches a computer-generated image (CGI) released by the Turkish company Modern Defense Solutions (MDS) after it received a contract to build a naval special forces training centre for the Qatar Armed Forces.

When that contract was announced during the Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) in March 2018, it was said the Buroq Special Marine Operations Training Centre would be built on 130 acres in the Zekreet area and be able to train 200 personnel at a time. Its facilities would include a 50 m indoor range, an urban warfare training area, a parachute simulator, a simulated cargo ship, a dock for inflatable boats, as well as accommodation, dining, and administration buildings.

The area covered by the completed training centre is far smaller than 130 acres, and while most of these facilities appear to have been delivered, the parachute simulator shown in the CGI appears to have been dropped from the final design.

Qatar's new naval special forces training facility has been completed and is now being used, a video...

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