Qatar reports Iranian pilots breached airspace, ignored contact

Qatari F-15s shot down two Iranian Su-24 fighter jets after the aircraft entered Qatari airspace and refused to respond to multiple radio contact attempts, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry. The engagement, which took place on March 2, 2026, marked the first air-to-air kill in the history of the Qatari air force. The Iranian jets were downed over Gulf waters after Qatari defense forces determined them to be a direct threat to Doha and to international military assets stationed in the country, including the major US presence at Al-Udeid Air Base. The airspace breach did not occur in isolation. It came amid a broader pattern of Iranian missile and drone strikes targeting American forces in Qatar. What happened in the skies over Qatar Two Su-24 aircraft, a Soviet-era variable-sweep wing bomber still in active service with Iran’s air force, crossed into Qatari airspace without authorization. Qatari air traffic control and military operators attempted radio contact on multiple occasions. The Iranian pilots ignored every attempt. Qatar scrambled F-15 fighters in response. After the Su-24s continued to refuse communication and showed no signs of diverting, Qatari pilots engaged. Both ...