Following the signature of a letter of intent on the 7th of December 2017 between Nexter and the Qatari Ministry of Defense (through Barzan Holdings, a company 100% owned by the Ministry of Defense of Qatar) for a partnership around the procurement of VBCI for the Qatari forces (Al Rayyan program), a Joint Venture has been established in Qatar and will be the local industrial base to deliver and maintain complete vehicles for the Al Rayyan program.
The first MOU represents a major step in the strategic partnership between Qatar and France: it will allow cooperation between Nexter, the French leader in land defense, and Barzan, a Qatari strategic industrial player. Together they will work to finalize the Qatari VBCI program. Other common projects are under consideration to propose complementary solutions to the Qatari forces.