Harry, that's exactly what I was getting at. (Maybe go back and read my post again?)


Nations who don't need to do power projection aren't taking their subs out of their local area. (A fine example is the San Luis, Falklands, 1982.) Argies were not doing power projection, they were trying a bit of sea denial. HMS Conqueror was in the power projection game. (And did nicely, I might add).

Hmm, got my verb tenses wrong. "Will already be" operating P-8 would have been correct, it being 2016 now. Still, it seems a great idea to budget for those training missions down under, doesn't it?

Not even 1 crew o/s learning it yet, so perhaps the jollies would be better spent in the States..

Just curious: Why is Oz IOC forecast for the 20's? Deliveries start, allegedly, next year.

Probably they have to pay the final 10% on IOC................

Britain, US Pledge to Improve Cooperation in Maritime Patrol Operations

LONDON — Britain and the US have pledged to work closer together on P-8A maritime patrol aircraft operations in the North Atlantic, the two nations announced Thursday.

A declaration to better coordinate maritime patrol aircraft operations and support in the region was signed in London by British Defence Procurement Minister Harriett Baldwin and her US counterpart, Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work. It is only a declaration of intent at the moment. A statement issued by the two officials said they “plan to cooperate closely on operation of their P-8A aircraft in the North Atlantic to ensure a coherent approach to MPA activity.” “The declaration provides a new opportunity to maximize value for money for the taxpayer and continue to strengthen U.K.-U.S. interoperability and to pursue efficiencies in operations and support, including at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, [the British P-8A base],” according to the statement...........

The British are rebuilding their fleet of maritime patrol aircraft after axing the capability in 2010. In recent years, they have increasingly had to rely on the US and other NATO allies to help search for rising numbers of Russian submarines said to be watching for Royal Navy ballistic missile boats exiting from the naval base at Faslane, Scotland. The move closer on North Atlantic surveillance is part of an expanding effort to counter a growing Russian submarine threat said by analysts and others to be approaching Cold War levels.

The increase in North Atlantic cooperation is not just confined to the UK and US either. Late last year, Norway and Britain signed an agreement to work closer on training and sharing P-8A capabilities. The Nordic nation last year announced it was buying five of the jets to replace its aging Lockheed Martin P-3Cs.

Earlier this month, Defense News reported that top officials from the three nations were seeking to reenergize a maritime surveillance alliance that had faded since the end of the Cold War. In a Dec. 4 interview, Work, of the US Defense Department, termed the expanding relationship between the three P-8A operators as “really, really exciting ... it just opens up a whole new level of possibilities for us to in the future do collaborative and coordinated operations."

we need to keep an eye on the UK Poseidon order - the problems with the exchange rate will no doubt tempt the Treasury into "delay mode"

guess it depends when payment due? If on delivery - who knows where the exchange rate will be in 2019...
Like the sound of co-operation. We could provide a big hangar to store all their spares and buoys for when they come to visit (and we promise not to 'borrow' them too often..) :)

Ha!

That hangar is in fact still at Keflavik, and many's the time we did actually raid their (the USN) sonobuoy store to keep the flypro going.

120 Sqn and 201 Sqn announced as the future RAF operators.

10 Sqn liveried P8 spotted at Boeing field last week...

Gosh they must be joining the AT/AR fleet then as 10 Sqn operates Voyager alongside 101Sqn at Brize!!!!

10 Sqn RAAF, perhaps? Due to be re-equipped with the P-8A next year.

10 Sqn RAF does indeed share the Voyager with 101 Sqn, but I suspect the reference here is to 10 Sqn RAAF, a unit with a long history in the maritime role. Lots of scope for confusion over the years, particularly with both operating from the UK in WW2, and that's before we start with 10 Sqn RFC and 10 Sqn RNAS in France in WW1.

Third RAAF P-8 arrived in Australia recently.

Er, Kinloss...

Er, Lossiemouth actually

Jeez,

research b4 posting guys ffs...

Let me clear it up

The RN are buying 120 P80 Neptunes from Africa and they will be based at RAF Macrahanish on the Isle of White and operated by 24 (water-bomber) Reserve Squadron. Seven old timers from the sweetcorn detachments will do the induction.

:D

Sweetcorn goes well with pies.

Doesn't go well with DCS though :yuk:

Lossie puts a hell of a lot of eggs in one basket.

Like Brize, Waddo, Etc, etc...:sad:

Pies! Of course, that explains why Harry Gows' is opening a new bakery in Inverness! :E (Must have been a Spetznatz raid that burnt it down a few days ago! :eek:)

Maybe it's time to open up a few more etcs. No Lossie, then no FJ's in the north of UK, nothing to protect the fleet and it could be due to nothing more than a bloody good snow storm. All sounds a bit iffy

And can be recycled like old Nimrod aircrew. They may not have been old when planted overseas but they are now.

Remember one trip back from Iceland. The snow swept in, ISK went black so we went around, extended for Lossie which went black. Round again for ISK which had gone white before going red and black. Lossie too so we set off for our diversion, Leeming, and spent the night at Aberdeen.

Good weather factor on the Moray coast, except when too windy or it snows.

That's why I suggested re-open Kinloss rather than station the P8s at Lossie.

This would make available a further operational runway locally.

It would please the the local communities no-end and dis-embarrass the Army of a facility they really don't want.

Kinloss should be able to be re-activated at minimal cost (keep the bean counters happy) and demonstrate a firm commitment to the future of the RAF in Scotland. - Everybody wins, but I guess it will never happen...

If wee Krankie gets her way Kinloss/Lossie will probably be hosting Tu-95s instead of P-8s.

Once again you show you don't know what you are talking about. As TOFO said earlier, research before posting :ugh:

The runway IS still operational, as a relief landing field for Lossie and it is used as the base for the local military flying club.

Surely due to the proximity of Kinloss to Lossiemouth if it was weather causing an issue both would likely be shut?

I know in the local press it was announced in the last year or two that Inverness was to be used as a diversion for Lossiemouth, with the agreement that armed Typhoons would be allowed to land in addition to previously only unarmed. This was of course met with stories of horror in the local press, the world is going to end. Up until that point I believe they were still using Leuchars as a diversion.

As far as civvy sites how would Wick fair (on the few reasonable days) as an option since the recent upgrades were completed?

Thank you, but I can do without the condescending tone.

A runway being available for RLG and flying club use is a world apart from having a fully operational airfield. My original post stands.

However, a shorter runway with serious bird issues sounds like a less than great place to operate a twin jet at max AUW year round.

Short runway with bird issues, you say?

http://www.pc-6.com/history/936-gceci06.jpg

Not condescending, just that, like TOFO, I am fed up with people that don't know about the subject they are posting 'factually' on - that was your second post in a row in this thread where you got your facts wrong.

Also, you didn't say "fully operational airfield", you said "a further operational runway", exactly what Kinloss has already :ugh:

If you'd bothered to read the post I was replying to you'd have noticed the reference to 10 & 11.