Throughout August, P-8 Poseidon aircraft have been conducting maritime surveillance missions in collaboration with the Royal Navy.
These efforts focused on monitoring Russian vessels in the North Sea and North Atlantic, contributing to the ongoing role of protecting UK waters.
The aircraft flew continuous sorties, operating “24 hours a day for multiple days,” according to the press release. This high level of activity was made possible by support personnel at RAF Lossiemouth, who are part of Team Lossie.
The aircraft worked in close coordination with HMS Portland, allowing for continuous monitoring from both sea and air.
During these operations, Poseidons tracked and photographed a range of Russian naval vessels. Among these were Corvettes Boikiy and Grad, Cruiser Marshal Ustinov, and the Udaloy-class Destroyer Severomorsk. Some of these vessels were part of the Russian Navy Day celebrations held in St. Petersburg on July 30th, while others had joined from the High North.
Wing Commander Livesey, Officer Commanding 120 Squadron, expressed pride in the team’s efforts, stating, “The deterrence we have enabled in recent days is important to the UK and NATO, with this a key reason for why Poseidon hold operational readiness 365 days a year.”
The Poseidon’s are multi-role maritime reconnaissance aircraft equipped with advanced sensors, including acoustic tracking. For this function, sonobuoys are dropped from the aircraft, creating a network of sensors that relay data back.
In addition to the P-8 Poseidon missions, RAF Typhoon aircraft were launched to intercept Russian aircraft believed to be operating in conjunction with the Russian Navy vessels.
You can read more by clicking here. Episode 3 of the Channel 4 documentary ‘Top Guns: Inside the RAF,’ airing on 4th September, will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the P8 Poseidon squadrons.
Insert “we need more of these” comment here
Because we really do
And insert comment “we need the capability to do more than watch”
Because we really do.
Agreed. More weponry too. We need an AShM carried. They can shadow & moniter enemy ships beyond SAM range &, if ever needed, eliminate them too.
P-8 is integrated with Harpoon Block1C , which is supposed to be the version UK has
As I post every time this comes up – it was announced that there was a common stockpile of weapons for the P8 which is on a pay when used basis.
But that is only an official announcement. Speculation, ignoring that, is so much more useful!
I checked and the Block 1C was the existing UK harpoon stocks. Its being phased out for the ship launched but doesnt mean it still still cant be used for P-8, unless they are being adapted for the NSM too
Common stockpile…..
lots of wear and tear on the airframes- we need to distribute this workload by having more airframes. Quantity has a quality in its own rights.
Another 5-6 aircraft are needed and whilst we are at it fit JSAAMER or LRASM.
For work like this where all that is being done is monitoring, no heavy weapons load required, surely the best option is a drone not a huge complex expensive manned aircraft.
I wonder whether the Protectors will play a role here?
I would hope so. Using an aircraft like the Poseidon to just watch them seems excessively costly, it’s also not an effective use of a scarce anti sub platform.
Whilst I agree we need more, wear and tear is not an issue. It is a converted 737 designed to spend more time in the air than on the ground.
Disagree, wear and tear is an issue. Not designed to spend a large proportion of its time at relatively low level, which passenger 737s don’t. So more corrosion is likely due to the maritime air at low level, greater mechanical stress/fatigue expenditure at low level.
The p8s taxi through a daily wash on return. There is no change on airframe hours or fatigue life as to thier civilian counterparts.
Yes. The RAF may do 800 hrs per year , while an airline would do that in 6 weeks and more at low level because of the takeoffs and landings are far greater. 5000 ft is low enough and not too hard on airframe
Was it the old Valiants that quickly failed, contributed to by a change from high level to low level operations, hence greater fatigue loading.
We’ll see with the B737s, I guess.
Have you done an SN curve calculation?
That would be a different sort of low level- high speed at under 500 ft
The P-8 is going to be lower speed at 5000ft with occasions a bit lower.
Like I said all the commercial airliners landings at lower levels after 1 -2 hr flights isnt how the P-8 would operate so they gain there.
Im sure they have looked at how a plane designed for high number of hours and high numbers of cycles will be Ok for a different spectrum over 25 years
Thats doesn’t stop internal corrosion, where the spray doesn’t get to.
P8s like the Nimrod have anti corrosion applied. Believe me if after a week of ops over the ocean you would know about it if they didn’t.
Maybe Twitter should fact check Greg Shapps:
https://i.postimg.cc/Qdznzc8g/Opera-Snapshot-2023-09-03-115715-www-mailplus-co-uk.png
‘Though I might be new to defence, defence is in the DNA’, We are upping our game. Next year, we will spend more than £50 billion on defence for the first-time in our history. And we have the largest defence budget in Europe. In fact, this Government has committed to increase spending over the longer-term to 2.5 per cent of GDP as we improve our fiscal position and grow our economy.’
Own really 😀
Anything to show for it?
That all means nothing at all until we see forces actually increasing again after decades of decline.
“This government has committed to increase spending over the longer-term to 2.5 per cent of GDP as we improve our fiscal position and grow our economy.’”
I love the way they can use such an affirmative and decisive word ‘committed’ and follow it up with
‘At some undetermined future point’, without any specifics of absolutely anything whatsoever!
Such utter, utter, horse shit, typical political verbal diarrhoea…..
It’s a skill…..you can’t see his lips move 🙂
How true mate …. I hate politicians I really do….
They always use the “we are spending more than ever before BS…….it’s called inflation everything this more expensive every year….your not investing more if your only keeping up with inflation in that sector…….
How true, it’s a bloody mess…. I still can’t see how they intend to fund the new SSN’s, GCAP and all the various re-equipment plans underway on the current budget, that’s in the red! Tempest/GCAP alone is going to take 15 billion, with the bulk spent in the first 8 years…. The money simply isn’t there, I certainly wouldn’t want to be the next governments defence secretary, SDSR 2025 is going be like trying to hammer a square peg into a bloody round hole! I suspect the Tories are setting Labour up for a massive fall with defence, so they… Read more »
I’d read 10 billion is already allocated from the 10 year equipment budget for Tempest.
That’s interesting mate, I thought it was only 2 billion allocated to 2025, for initial development.
The exact budget allocation and how it works is not my strong point. All I know is what I’d read on UKAFC when he was looking through the latest 10 year plan.
Serious money.
It’s not just defence. School buildings and other public buildings need a massive building program. Ditto housing. I’m investing in post war prefabs! Generation and the electricity grid needs to increase x2 or 3 to support electrification of heating and transport. The NHS needs taking apart and re- assembling to a new model. The infrastructure of the country needs renovation, starting with the Act of Settlement, the Union and the devolution legislation. Money will have to come from the pension schemes + Liverpool can chip in when they sell Mo Salah to Saudi Al-Ittihad..£200m….isn’t that £40m in VAT?
Very true, I honestly think the next government will be in a financial straight jacket for the entire Parliament.
Like having to do austerity because of the previous incumbents where profligate rampant spenders… Nahhh…that will never catch on…
That’s true mate, if Labour get in, it’s going to be a very unstable time.
One side of the party and all the unions will be absolutely screaming for social spending increases right accross the board and public sector pay rises….
I would expect a lot of in fighting and a whole series of fresh strikes…
Cant Mo claim the VAT back at the airport with the correct forms…😏
I’m sure they are working on it 😉
What matters most in the politics of most western countries is the appearance of doing something. Whether you actually do anything is quite beside the point.
I can say that in Canada, we have become experts at talking an awful lot, but doing as little as possible.
Perhaps Canada could do the U.K. a favour and take the immigrants. It has lots of space and for its size has a small population. It could increase there tax take which in turn could fund its government more. The Rwanda of the north. Sorted😂😂😂😂
Canada is already taking 500,000 new migrants per year- 20% of their population is ‘permanent residency’ only
No different to the days of the Kipper fleet and we had many more. Always on patrol including holding dinghy and nuclear watch.
It’s well known that Russian aircraft are typically tracked by the RNoAF who hand them over to the RAF, then the French etc. Are ships tracked in the same way?
Ships and Submarines to a lesser extent can be tracked in and out of Port yes.
An astute boat left faslane today or yesterday. I wonder where it’s going and what boat it was. In fact I don’t want to know.
HMS McSinky boat off to sink the Russians in the channel if the comments section is being listened too XD
I await the return with a jolly Rodger flying with 3 Russian ships and 10 dingys painted on it.
Some folks would be delighted.
Until 15 mins later when an ICBM blows them to pieces 🙈
Yes! Spearfish are perfect for halting migrants. Anyone know what those go for these days? Has to be for less than a migrant dinghy!
While were at it lets invade France and occupy the beaches, because why start 1 Nuclear War when we can start 2!?
HMS McSinky….. now was that the top secret final Swiftsure class SSN no one knows about or is part of the new Mc/Mac class?