Third P-8A Poseidon lands at Lossiemouth
Boeing has delivered its third P-8A Poseidon MPA for the UK RAF, the company announced on 14 October.
The RAF has nine aircraft (designated Poseidon MRA Mk1) on order; the first arrived in the UK in early February and the second followed in March. All nine are expected to arrive in the UK by the end of 2021, according to Shephard Defence Insight.
All three aircraft now operate from purpose-built facilities at RAF Lossiemouth, including a new £100 million hangar and upgraded runway.
Two more P-8A aircraft are in the US at the Boeing P-8 Installation and Checkout facility near Seattle, where mission systems are being installed and further testing will take place before final delivery to the RAF.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
Update: India’s Rafale-M deal postponed
New Delhi had been gearing up to sign a Navy Rafale deal as talks swirled around a potential assembly line in Nagpur.
-
Turkey’s Eurofighter process going to plan despite German block, says minister
The comment, made by Turkish defence minister Yasar Guler, also noted that the 40-strong sale of Eurofighter Typhoons was primarily managed by the UK, not Germany.
-
Airbus awaits USMC decision on Logistics Connector programme
Airbus has been advancing development of its uncrewed MQ-72C Logistics Connector for the US Marine Corps, with a decision on the programme expected in early 2026.
-
Belgium considers additional F-35 order to boost fleet
The statement from Prime Minister Bart De Wever during a parliamentary session follows the country’s Easter Agreement which would see it increase defence spending to 2% of GDP by the end of 2025.
-
Northrop Grumman notes $477 million loss as it manages higher B-21 programme costs
In its Q1 earnings call, the company disclosed a US$477 million pretax loss related to the programme as it works to scale up.
-
Lockheed Martin wants to “supercharge” F-35 after NGAD loss
The investment in technologies developed for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) aircraft bid will now be applied to its F-35 and F-22 aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet.