In BREST, France, Gulf countries are bolstering their undersea warfare capabilities, with Qatar purchasing Italian mini-submarines and Saudi Arabia acquiring French towed array sonars. Naval threats in the region have risen due to Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeting commercial shipping vessels, prompting the upgrades. Saudi Arabia has ordered five Captas-1 sonars from Thales, designed to detect conventional submarines in shallow-water environments.
Qatar signed a €190 million contract with Italian company M23 for two small submarines in 2021. These mini-subs offer capabilities tailored to Qatar’s operational environment, with the first one tested in Northern Italy over the summer. The close ties between Rome and Doha in the defense sector may have influenced this choice, as Qatar has been the main recipient of Italian weapons between 2019-2023. Mini-subs can act as disrupters against superior adversaries, infiltrate harbors for covert operations, and lay minefields.
