F-15E Strike Eagles from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. (John T. Winn/Air Force National Guard)
Stars and Stripes/Idaho Statesman: $12 billion deal may bring hundreds of Qatar, US Air Force members to Idaho base
BOISE, Idaho (Tribune News Service) — The U.S. Air Force soon may bring 170 members of Qatar's air force to live on the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. They would be coming to learn to fly the newest model of the F-15 fighter jet specially modified for the Persian Gulf state.
The Qatar trainees may be in for a culture shock should they find themselves in the city of Mountain Home. More than 90% of Qataris live in the capital of Doha, which is full of skyscrapers, luxury hotels and attractions, museums and world-class food.
The country is also incredibly flat and dry, with the majority of its land being desert. Qatar is one of just four areas in the world without a single forest. Not to mention the differing temperatures between Qatar and Idaho: Qatar averages 107 degrees in July and rarely gets below 50 degrees even in winter.
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WNU Editor: Qatar received its first batch of F-15s last year .... Qatar receives first batch of US-made F-15 combat planes (Al Jazeera).