German Navy P-8A Poseidon Set For United Kingdom Deployment
A German Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will deploy to RAF Lossiemouth in the coming months, operating alongside Royal Air Force Poseidons out of the air base in northern Scotland to track Russian naval activity in the northern Atlantic Ocean.
The upcoming deployment was announced by the government of the United Kingdom ahead of a visit by Defence Secretary John Healey and German defense minister Boris Pistorius to RAF Lossiemouth, with both officials joining an operational flight aboard a RAF Poseidon as part of the visit.
According to the UK’s Ministry of Defence, German crews have already been part of two operational missions flown by RAF Poseidons out of RAF Lossiemouth under NATO’s Operation Baltic Sentry, with Healey also “reaffirming” plans for a joint UK-German purchase of Sting Ray Mod 1 torpedoes for the countries’ Poseidon fleets.
Defense Secretary Healey said of the meeting:
“A year on from the Trinity House Agreement, the UK and Germany are working closer than ever to keep our two countries and Europe safe.
Together we’re strengthening NATO, boosting our cyber defences, and ensuring our Armed Forces can operate side by side with ease – from patrolling the skies over Scotland to hunting Russian subs in the North Atlantic.
This partnership is a cornerstone of European security, demonstrating unity and strength to our adversaries, and keeping us secure at home and strong abroad.”
The visit marked the first anniversary of the Trinity House Agreement on Defence between the UK and Germany, which seeks to create a “deeper and more integrated UK-German defence partnership”. Also announced during the visit was the fifth Trinity House Lighthouse project, which will enhance cooperation between the UK’s new Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) and the German Cyber and Information Domain Service through initiatives like the development of a secure cloud network to share data, intelligence and operational tools with each other and other NATO allies.