Aircrew have commenced the flying phase of training to fly the Poseidon MRA Mk1 (P-8A), the UK’s new maritime patrol aircraft.
The RAF say in a release that Pilots, Weapons System Officers and Weapons Systems Operators have entered the simulator and flying phase of their six-month course.
The personnel, from CXX Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth, are being trained by a mix of US Navy and RAF P-8A ‘seedcorn’ one-way exchange instructors on a course which covers a substantial range of topics. This includes being trained to fly at medium and low level over the sea, so that the mission crew can train in Anti-Submarine Warfare and Anti-Surface Warfare.
“In parallel to the training activity, aircraft production is continuing. In January the auxiliary fuel tanks were completed by Marshall Aerospace & Defence Group in Cambridge and the keel of the first UK P-8 was laid in Witchita, Kansas. Assembly of the aircraft then commenced in February with the fuselage competed at the end of March. Once complete the fuselage of the first UK Poseidon was taken by train some 2000 miles to the Boeing Plant at Renton, Seattle where assembly will be completed. The aircraft is expected to conduct its first flight this summer.”
The Poseidon is based on the Boeing 737-800NG aircraft, the supply chain for which is already supported by UK industry, providing several hundred direct UK jobs. UK manufacturers also provide specialist sub-systems for the P-8A, for example Marshalls (auxiliary fuel tanks), Martin Baker (crew seats), GE (Weapon Pylons) and GKN Aerospace (windshields).
Would be good if the RAF could raid the back of the sofa to buy an extra 2 to 3 P-8, to bring the total to 11 or 12. Not holding my breath though.
Foreign aid budget, just saying…
As oppose to making corporations that make billions pay their fair share in tax, as oppose to making billionaires pay more tax, as oppose to making billionaires that have tons of empty property worth millions in London pay more tax, as oppose to looking at the richest 1% that own half the worlds wealth. As oppose to looking at the richest 1000 people in the UK, who were already filthy rich, who have increased their wealth by £274 billion in the last 5 years, which is over four years worth of our annual defense budget, and asking them for a… Read more »
And The Internationale Unites the Human Race – aye right!
Is there something in what I said you disagree with Bill? Which part?
Just that you seem to have stumbled into the wrong blog mate the CPGB is over there amongst the gulag archipelico.
I’m totally lost with you Bill, are you agreeing or disagreeing with my comment, I’m struggling to see a counter argument or telling me I’m wrong in any way.
I have been commenting on this blog for ages are you telling me this blog supports wealth inequality and tax avoidance/evasion?
I am not surprised that you seem lost Mr Survivor as the blog is The UK Defence Journal. A site examining military capability in terms of equipment, training and operations. Not somewhere you would normally expect to finfd floppy haired revolutionaries espousing morally and intellectually bankrupt plans for class struggle. We ran the experiment on that it’s called the 20th century and there are over a 100 million ghosts who can affirm it brings nothing but pain and misery. We have advanced considerably since the 1840s! Now can we get back to military capability?
“A site examining military capability in terms of equipment, training and operations.” Are you new here? at the top of the page there is a section called “analysis” there is all sorts in there mate that has naff all to do with that, Chinese debt traps, geopolitics, all sorts Bill check it out it’s great. Politics, Brexit, the state of the country, those subjects have been debated on here for years, some a whole lot more than others, so instead of trying to shut down open debate, try doing what Daniele, Lee and Chris have done and point out things… Read more »
What is strange sole is that you are very happy to point out the poor and so called oppressed in this country but then you go out of your way to support regimes like Russia and china who actully do oppress its people through freedom of speach ect ect.
What? when the hell have I ever supported the regimes of Russia and China?
Find it, copy and paste it and show it to me
What ??? I merely pointed out you were pedalling a false analysis based on a morally and intellectually bankrupt set of premises. Now you go go off on a self indulgent tangent,that has nothing to do with your original contention. Becoming ‘triggered ‘ at having your less than convincing economic views challenged is hardly the basis of a productive debate. However a tip from a Nobel Laureate may help in your future ventures into a subject that you clearly struggle with. ‘ The curious task of Economics is to demonstrate to men how little they know about what they imagine… Read more »
You never “merely pointed” out anything Bill, you mustered up two sentences talking about socialist anthems, communists and gulags, your responses were actually quite pathetic.
“Becoming ‘triggered ‘ at having your less than convincing economic views challenged”
You have not challenged a single thing I said, I invited you to but you don’t seem to be willing to do it for some reason.
The only person “triggered” here is you, anyone reading this exchange will see that Bill that’s for sure.
Mr Survivor here is another tip, if you start from a false premise anything that flows from it cannot be valid. Get the point? Maybe not. You obviously think this view is ‘pathetic’, ‘ less than convincing’, and that I am struggling from a lack of economic understanding which somewhat more than ironic. It appears like many new under graduates you seem to be clinging to a version of the Nirvana Fallacy, however unlike them you don’t yet have a way to escape it. Finally in common with so many people determined to have the last word it’s rather odd… Read more »
Morning Sole.
You are, of course, correct.
A balance is needed though, as taxing the rich til the pips squeak means they up sticks and leave, leaving the UK a nation of peasants.
Yes you have to be careful as too much taxing will lead to no tax at all. More needs to be done but it needs to be well thought out.
Afternoon Daniele and Lee, Yeah I totally agree, reading back on my post it was not the intention to sound a bit “Robin Hood” lol when I say fair share and more, I mean just pay what you owe, does not mean raise all taxes, the only tax I would raise would be corporation tax slightly, so it’s on a par with Europe. But that’s besides the point, you cannot get an exact figure but a quick look and it looks as though anywhere between £30 billion and £40 billion is uncollected each year in tax, and it’s always thought… Read more »
If you raise corporation tax so it’s on par with Europe then why would a company set up in the UK. I’d head to Germany and reap the 35% productivity improvement. Until there’s a global socialist revolution all raising tax will do is drive large companies overseas and hit the small to medium companies who can’t move. Labour will raise taxes but it unlikely the defence budget will see any of it. My bet is more gets lumped into the 2% essentially reducing the defence spending is real terms.
“Slashing corporation tax rates will cost the public finances £6.2bn per year, HMRC has said, despite government claims that the giveaway will increase revenues. The UK already has one of the lowest tax rates on company profits in the world at 19 per cent but it will fall a further 2 per cent by next year under a policy introduced by George Osborne in 2015 and backed last year by Philip Hammond. Each percentage point drop will cost the public purse £3.1bn a year in lower tax receipts, according to HMRC’s latest forecast; more than the £2.8bn it predicted last… Read more »
Have you seen the level of investment in the US since they cut Corporation Tax, its at an all time high. Ireland is another example, companies have setup their due to the low rate of tax. ‘The only thing that is certain is that it reduces what we receive into HMRC.’ So receipts have fallen? Statistics say otherwise, it up 6bn in the past year. https://www.statista.com/statistics/284319/united-kingdom-hmrc-tax-receipts-corporation-tax/ They appear to be rising not falling, good news for the UK I’d say. And more tax is more to spend on social policies, defence and pay off debt. Your comment that its not… Read more »
I agree with you. However the Aid budget is not only spent on rice for African kids. It is also given to India (who have a space program) and Pakistan (a nuclear power)… While I do not want the aid budget spent on our defence industry I do want it spent on aid for countries that need it rather than countries that could afford to look after their own people.
We do not give foreign aid to the Indian Govt.
Whether we should give the aid that we do or spend it differently is an issue that is a wider one.
@SoleSurvivor – I am with you about people paying their taxes but I am afraid you exaggerate beyond factual reality: * The highest earning 1% in the UK pay an estimated 28% of all income tax in 2017 / 18. * That is just 1% less than was paid in 2015 / 16 * The top 50% of earners make up roughly 90% of income tax receipts, slightly more than back in 2000 * During this same period, the percentage of income tax paid by the bottom 50% of earners has fallen from almost 12.6% to just fewer than 10%.… Read more »
I think I have replied a bit to this in my reply to Daniele and Lee Chris, good to hear from you and to get a reply Chris, it’s been a while. Like I said above it was not the intention to sound Robin Hood and attack the rich, when I say pay more tax, it has more to do with paying what they owe, we all know a lot of the corporations and super rich exploit loopholes etc, but obviously it’s not just them, tax evasion/avoidance is rife through all levels of society, the point I was making is… Read more »
Thank you and yes I am dipping the old toes back in the forum waters …. All I will add is that when the likes of Google, Starbucks and others can earn £ Bns in the UK and pay less tax than some SMEs then it is more than just a problem in the UK. This is an international problem. And while I have no wish to drag in an EU debate the issue we have is that when Ireland and Luxembourg are allowed to grant companies Tax Residence these companies can charge their own companies in other countries huge… Read more »
I’d suggest the problem is with the “loop holes” that appear, to my untrained eye, to be put there deliberately to allow the rich to get richer.
If you earn £250k a year you can afford an accountant and lawyer to avoid paying anything like the 42% due.
If we can’t reduce foreign aid (it’s dam law 0.7%) then Foreign aid should be spent more on our millitary like the cost of the UK Bahrain based ships and uk base there and buying british products for foreign nations ect. It’s totally the governments choice what we spend on our millitray…we just need a pro British hard power government…. can’t see it anytime soon unfortunately!!
Absolutely , the foreign aid budget is a sham , we give Billions away without ever bothering to ensure the money is spent on what its supposed to be allowing it to fill the pockets of corrupt officials all while civil servant and phoney political elites and those wealthy fuds from the entertainment industry pat themselves on the back for how amazing we are at giving away 0.7% of gdp yet can’t spend enough on cancer drugs and care for the elderly or help for homeless here in our own country. The U.K. governments primary responsibility is for the people… Read more »
Or How about just the basic number that we actually need to fulfil all our tasks and duty’s and it was found that the number was 16…..
Air to air refuelling would be nice with raf tankers with additional refueling capacity or take the system of the raf awacs and refit onto the new aircraft.
Do planes have keels?
Keel beam. Yes!
Spot the Argumentative “Member”.
Falls out with absolutely everyone and asks why.
Another reason not to even bother with this site other than Highlight the Obvious.
The Multi Account holders are doing a Stirling job downvoting all the Previously Popular Posters too. Well Done, As Predicted.
How do you know they were previously popular posters if there was not a voting system then?
I don’t think that the voting buttons add a great deal to the site. What sort of person posts in order to gain likes….Billy no-mates!!!! It is a good example of teenage narcissism! As my old geography teacher used to say….If you’ve got something to say…say it. If you have nothing to say…say it. Or, put up or shut up!
I am reading “Why markets fail” by John Cassidy. In it he recounts an early 1950s experiment at Swarthmore College, by Solomon Asch. A group of male students looked at lines on a card & had to say publicly which ones matched. What was hidden, was that only one student was doing this for real. The others had been told in secret, what results to announce. When the group announced that lines matched, even when they clearly did not, only a quarter of the test subjects would stand against the group to declare the truth. The other three quarters went… Read more »
With that finding, it is just as well we don’t operate a direct democracy. Whatever the frustrations with the political system at the moment, at least the majority of MP’s seem to be acting in a principled manner!
I think it is the blind leading the blind.
My pennyworth on how to get out of this, is another quick referendum, not on in/out, as that was decided in 2016, but on do you want a hard or a soft Brexit? That might break the logjam in Parliament & give the EU a clear idea of what Britain really wants. Putting on my tin hat now. Is there a limit on how many minus points you can clock up on this site? I fear I am about to find out.
Yes John….that is probably true of those that voted in 2016! However, there is a huge number of new voters now; young people who would be able to vote for the first time. As a teacher, I am concerned that the very people that this decision is going to affect, have had no chance to vote on the issue. I am also aware…if my classes are anything to go by, that there is an overwhelming majority amongst them for remain.
I accept your point! I am no fan of referenda. We are a parliamentary democracy….and Parliament is the place for these decisions to be taken. It was only cheap party politics that led to the 2016 referendum. And, given the corrupt nature of the campaigns, the electoral commission should have declared it null & void. I would suggest that as a compromise, an additional referendum could be held for those who reached 18 after June 2016. The results could be added to the votes cast in 2016!
Considering the deep split in the nation, one side or other trying to game a 2nd vote, would only lead to more bitter division. I see the SNP is calling for another independence vote only 5 years after the previous one. If referenda are not to be constant farce, there needs to be a rule that you have twenty years minimum between referenda asking the same question. If remainers came out of their bunker for a second, they would see that a quick second referendum asking a related, but different question, on a hard or a soft Brexit, would be… Read more »
On the finance side, it would be good if we stopped inflating the amount we spend on defence as we currently do by including MoD civil servants’ pension schemes, Whitehall stationery purchases, etc and of course return the CAD to the responsibility of the Treasury. Then if we spent our agreed 2% we probably could buy a lot more. I also get the feeling that the Treasury’s predeliction for procrastination when it comes to big ticket purchases (not just in defence but across all govt depts) causes increases in overall cost due to delays in orders and spreading orders out… Read more »
There is nothing more expensive than HM Treasury saving money.
Speaking of which, has anyone else seen the plan to cut the number of upgraded Challenger 2 to only 148? I fear we will lose this heavy armour, only to need it again in a future conflict/stand-off, then have to pay a fortune to get it back quickly.
Errr…yes, Nimrod!!