TSAMTO, October 25. The seventh of nine ordered by the British Air Force maritime patrol aircraft P-8A "Poseidon" (British designation "Poseidon" MRA Mk1) arrived at Lossiemouth Air Base in Scotland on October 20 after a flight from the United States.
The day before, the ZP807 aircraft was given the official name William Barker VC. The new P-8A will join 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 the development and delivery of aircraft of the British Air Force, including personnel training, 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, six aircraft have arrived in the UK (ZP801 Pride of Moray, ZP802 City of Elgin, ZP803 Terence Bulloch, ZP804 Spirit of Reykjavik, ZP805 Fulmar and ZP806 Guernsey's Reply).
Another plane should arrive by the end of October, and the last one by the end of December 2021.
On April 1, 2020, the Command of the British Air Force announced that the British Poseidon fleet had reached initial readiness for combat use. The aircraft should reach full readiness for combat use in 2024.
The received Poseidon MRA1 aircraft will be part of the 120th and 201st Air Squadrons of the British Air Force. The crews are trained as part of the 54th Air Squadron.
The new aircraft are to become an element of the protection of the UK's nuclear deterrent (SSBMS) and two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. They will make it possible 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 APY-10 radar, armed with Mk torpedoes.54 and anti-ship missiles "Harpoon", will be able to carry up to 129 sonar buoys. It is assumed that in the future, the P-8A will perform tasks together with the purchased MQ-9B "Protector" RG1 UAVs.
Although it was initially assumed that the platforms would also be able to conduct reconnaissance over land, an Air Force spokesman told Jane's that this would not be due to the relatively small number of aircraft purchased.
