Advanced Israeli air defense systems used by Qatar, Saudi Arabia despite lack of formal relations

Despie the absence of formal diplomatic relations, a Haaretz report has revealed that a complex and surprising exchange is taking place behind the scenes between Israeli companies and Qatar. 

According to the report, private jets used by Qatari leaders, including Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, are equipped with advanced air defense systems supplied by Israeli defense firms such as Elbit Systems and Rafael.

Haaretz also published images of aircraft used by senior Qatari officials showing the Israeli-made defense technology systems onboard, even on planes flown to Tehran.

Analysis of photographs indicates that several planes in the Qatari royal family's fleet, which includes 11 aircraft used by Al Thani, are equipped with Elbit's Commercial Multi-Spectral Infrared Countermeasures (C-MUSIC) system [Magen Raqia “Sky Shield” in Hebrew]. The system, installed on the underside of each plane, is designed to detect the launch of heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles and disrupt their tracking using an infrared laser beam.

C-MUSIC was developed following a 2002 attempted shoot-down of an Arkia charter flight in Mombasa, Kenya, by Al-Qaeda–affiliated militants. The system has since become a standard security measure on Israeli airliners, as well as on planes used by several heads of state.

According to Haaretz, the Elbit systems were installed on three Qatari aircraft while they were undergoing maintenance in Basel, Switzerland between 2020 and 2022. 

The sale of defense technology to the Gulf states does not end with Al Thani’s planes. Haaretz found evidence that advanced Israeli weapons systems were sold to Saudi Arabia, including missile defense systems and combat helmets for F15 aircraft. 

In addition, several Israeli companies are reportedly involved in Qatar’s advanced F-15QA “Ababil” program, as part of broader cooperation with U.S. firm Boeing.

While the sale to Qatar likely happened through subsidiary companies, Elbit has signed deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars to install similar systems on German, Austrian and Dutch military transport aircraft. 

A report from Israel's Maariv news site in June 2025 found that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approved several sales of Israeli defense products to Qatar over recent years, despite the Qatari leadership’s hostile stance toward Israel.

A U.S. Elbit subsidiary, Collins Elbit Vision Systems, manufactures combat helmets used by both Qatari and Saudi Arabian Air Forces. Several other Israeli companies manufacture various components used in the F-15 jets purchased by both countries.

The sale of such equipment reflects a broader reality in which a lack of formal diplomatic relations does not stop countries from using or acquiring Israeli-developed defense technologies.

It also highlights a complex situation. Qatar has hosted leaders of the Hamas terror organization for several years and has played a mediating role in regional conflicts, including efforts to help end recent U.S.-Israeli military operations against Iran.

Despite significant strategic, ideological, and political differences, both Qatar and the Saudi Kingdom have made use of Israeli defense-related technologies in certain contexts, underscoring their perceived operational value.