TSAMTO, September 24. The command of the British Air Force announced the arrival of the sixth (out of nine ordered) sea patrol aircraft P-8A "Poseidon" (the British designation "Poseidon" MRA Mk1) at the Lossiemouth airport after the flight from the United States.
The ZP806 aircraft, named Guernsey's Reply, will enter the combat structure of the restored 201 Squadron.
As reported by TSAMTO, in March 2016, the US State Department approved the supply of 9 P-8A Poseidon aircraft, related equipment and services worth up to $ 3.2 billion to the UK under the Foreign Military Sales program. The official contract was signed at the Farnborough International Air Show in July 2016.
The total cost of developing and supplying aircraft to the British Air Force, including training personnel, creating infrastructure and maintenance at the Lossiemouth base, is estimated at 3.7 billion pounds.
The first P-8A "Poseidon" (ZP801), named Pride of Moray (The Pride of the Seas is a region in Scotland), landed in the UK on February 4, 2020. So far, five aircraft have arrived in the UK (ZP801 Pride of Moray, ZP802 City of Elgin, ZP803 Terence Bulloch, ZP804 Spirit of Reykjavik and ZP805 Fulmar).
It is expected that all nine Poseidon aircraft will fly to Lossiemouth Air Base by the end of 2021. Two planes will arrive by the end of October, and the last one by the end of December.
On April 1, 2020, the British Air Force Command announced that the British Poseidon Fleet had reached initial readiness for combat use. The aircraft should reach full readiness for combat use in 2024.
"Poseidon" MRA1 will be part of the 120th and 201st air squadrons of the British Air Force. The training of crews will be carried out as part of the 54th Air Squadron.
The new aircraft should become an element of the protection of the UK's nuclear deterrent and provide cover for two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. They will allow you to locate and escort enemy submarines (primarily Russian ones), detect surface ships and expand the capabilities for conducting reconnaissance and conducting search and rescue operations at sea. The P-8A of the British Air Force will meet the same standards as the aircraft in service with the US Navy. It is assumed that the aircraft will be equipped with an APY-10 radar, armed with Mk torpedoes.54 and anti-ship missiles "Harpoon", will be able to carry up to 129 sonar buoys.