The RAF has carried out its largest ever deployment of P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, sending three jets from 120 Squadron to Keflavik Air Base in Iceland as part of NATO vigilance activity.
The RAF said the mission reinforced the UK’s commitment to monitoring the North Atlantic and supporting Alliance plans for the High North, a region NATO considers strategically critical.
The deployment allowed aircrew and engineers to rehearse Agile Combat Employment concepts, with the RAF making clear the need to move and operate high end capabilities rapidly across dispersed locations. According to the RAF, operating from Keflavik also demonstrated the UK’s ability to contribute to wider NATO surveillance and deterrence tasks in an area used to track submarine movements between the Arctic and the North Atlantic.
Wing Commander Higgins, Officer Commanding 120 Squadron, linked the mission to the unit’s historical role in protecting the same waters. He said “this deployment to Iceland highlights the enduring importance of the North Atlantic and Arctic to the security of the Alliance… Today, operating the P 8A Poseidon, we continue that legacy by contributing to NATO’s collective defence and ensuring the security of this strategically critical region. It’s an honour to work alongside our Icelandic partners and NATO allies in our constant endeavour to safeguard the maritime domain.”
While in Iceland, the detachment supported NATO’s Peacetime Vigilance Activity under Maritime Command and worked alongside US and Canadian forces. The RAF said the experience will help refine regional plans and strengthen cooperation in an area of increasing focus for the Alliance.
The P 8A Poseidon, equipped with advanced sensors and weapons, is central to the UK’s wider anti submarine mission and to NATO’s ability to monitor activity in the North Atlantic.
Is this the Iceland Christmas Sale ?
Or how about, Santa gone missing ?
One can never tell these days what’s real or fake news. 👀🤔🫡
3 more would be nice. What are the odds?
I’d say slim unfortunately mate. Especially now Norwegian and German P8s will operate out of Lossiemouth. Another 3 would considerably increase the RAFs out of area deployment capability. But hopefully Protector will get some kind of maritime capability.
3 airplanes is a surge now. Comical.
I read that 3 Drones Is a Swarm too ! I guess we have to “Big It Up” somehow.
im guessing its approaching 100 aircrew alone…not to mention ground staff. perhaps they meant a surge on manpower
The £5.4 B money that will need to be found to replace Ajax from the general budget would pay for another 9 P8.
I was interested when researching this that that the US Navy only deploys on rotation to Keflavik – I assumed they had a permanent presence. We have 9 P8s, Norway will have 5 and Germany 8.. so 22 to patrol the North Atlantic and Baltic… with other assets like diminishing numbers of legacy P3s until they are retired. Not a lot. But then I don’t know really know what enough would be… who does?.. outside the military, and they won’t – and shouldn’t – say… the rest is best guess. Combined with rapidly expanding work on autonomous assets the whole military scene is evolving daily … old doctrines are now probably fatal doctrines.
Nothing new is going to arrive by the end of next week, that’s for sure so it was a nice moment last week when WT001, the first RAF Wedgetail flew over my house… directly over at 7,000ft so I couldn’t see the Wedge! It was on its way back to Brum after a few months at Boscombe Down. Is this a hopeful sign the programme is moving on? We’ll see.