First Lossie-bound spy plane handed over to RAF
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THE first of nine completed maritime patrol planes to be stationed at RAF Lossiemouth has been handed over to the RAF.
A ceremony was held in Seattle to hand over the first of the P-8A Poseidons being made by Boeing in the US, named "Pride of Moray" by the RAF.
RAF Lossiemouth will be home to nine of the submarine-hunting spy aircraft from 2020 – an investment of £400 million in the base.
The aircraft are expected to be fully operational in 2022.
The planes are designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and the first is expected to arrive in the UK next spring.
A £132 million facility is being built by Boeing and Robertson at RAF Lossiemouth to house the P-8s. While the runway resurfacing at RAF Lossiemouth is ongoing, the first UK P-8A will briefly operate out of Kinloss.
The resurfacing is part of the £500 million RAF Lossiemouth Development Programme which aims to future-proof the base with a range of upgrades.
