Qatar inks over $200B deal to buy jets from Boeing as Trump visits region

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Qatar signed an over $200 billion agreement with US aerospace firm Boeing to procure a new fleet of jets on Wednesday as President Donald Trump visited the Gulf Arab state.

Trump said the agreement would include 160 Boeing aircraft, hailing it as a "record" deal in the company's 108-year history.

"It's over $200 billion but 160 in terms of the Jets, that's fantastic. So that's a record," Trump said during a signing ceremony alongside Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Doha.

"Congratulations to Boeing. Get those planes out there. Get them out there."

The deal was one of several agreements signed Wednesday between the US and Qatar.

Others included a bilateral joint declaration of cooperation between the nations, a statement of intent on defense cooperation, an agreement to sell Doha an unspecified number of MQ-9 Reaper drones, and an FS Lids counter-drone system.

It is unclear how many FS, or fixed-site, Lids systems are included under the terms of the deal.

"After signing these documents, we are going to another level of relationship between Qatar and, United States. So I just wanted to thank you, Mr. President against for this historic visit," said al-Thani.