Air forces from the USA, Canada, Germany, Norway, and the UK participated in the first Joint Exploration and Discussion of Initiatives (JEDI) Symposium of 2025 at RAF Lossiemouth to strengthen their combined maritime patrol capabilities, according to a press release.
The symposium, which ran from 18 to 23 January, focused on aligning the efforts of over 40 Poseidon aircraft deployed across Europe and enabling them to act as a “single fleet.”
Crews carried out simulated anti-submarine missions during the event, honing shared procedures and examining new ways to improve interoperability. One Poseidon Instructor noted:
“Despite some differences in procedures at a tactical level, the crews were able to operate effectively thanks to common aircraft, mission systems, and weapons.”
In addition to exercises, the symposium served as a platform to review recent operational activity.
On 16 January 2025, the Royal Air Force confirmed that a P-8A Poseidon from RAF Lossiemouth had tracked a Russian landing ship, the RFN Aleksandr Shabalin, through the English Channel—an example of the aircraft’s role in “maritime surveillance” as well as search and rescue operations.
Squadron Leader Barber, Executive Officer of 120 Squadron, commented on the need for “close cooperation with allies and NATO partners,” saying:
“Maritime patrol is a team game, requiring close cooperation with allies and NATO partners to ensure a coherent response to any threats we may face. This is why the JEDI Symposium is such an important event, allowing operators from the five nations to exchange ideas and build bonds, both professionally and socially. RAF Lossiemouth is the ideal location, due to its strategic position on the northern approaches to the UK, and close to the entrance to the Baltic Sea.”
RAF Lossiemouth, currently home to nine Poseidon aircraft, also regularly hosts international partners for training. As part of ongoing collaborations, the station welcomed a US Naval Support Facility in 2024 and signed the “Trinity House Agreement” with Germany in the same year, allowing German Poseidon crews to operate from the Scottish base.
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JEDI 👏 Nice.
One of the more sensible buys.
Thank god we have them and not another capability gap.
Could do with a few more TBH.
“Thank god we have them and not another capability gap.” That’s not quite true because we did have a fairly lengthy capability gap from when Nimrod was scrapped by Cameron and P8 entered service with the RAF. 9 is also no way near enough, the original Nimrod requirement was to have 22 aircraft to provide adequate submarine cover. P8s are a lot cheaper to buy and run a T26. Maybe we don’t need 22 because a 737 NG derived aircraft will give you more hours than a Nimrod, but we definitely need more than 9. A P8 costs about £150… Read more »
If a situation arose where the Govt/MOD thought an attack on the UK was likely do you really think some of our most important assets would be parked up in neat lines at RAF Lossiemouth ? I’d like to give those in power a bit more credit.There has been more thought going into Forward Operations and Dispersal these past few years for that very reason.
Remember Pearl Harbour?
The UK has closed a great many airfields and bases since the end of the Cold War, has dispersion training even been carried with the P8s?
We have 5 sets of SkySabre to protect all military assets across all three branches.
Complacency and peace time thinking is the way of both Govt and the MoD these days.
A lot of bases have been shut, some have been transferred to be Army Barracks, but the Runways are still intact and usable.
Predanack was closed for decades, It’s open again for trials of certain new tech. Chivenor is still useable too, as are many others.
Indeed, highly reckless. As soon as war starts we’ve already gifted too many own goals with insane decisions by HMG over decades.
@Paul T Very much so.
Runways on Army bases that were once RAF Stations, RAF RLGs, other minor RAF sites, civilian sites.
There are no shortage of runways. The people and assets to successfully disperse to them may be another matter, and not all will have suitable, in place, ammunitioning facilities or links to the old GPSS.
Hi Order, those 5 SkySabre sets are not to protect fixed UK assets. These mobile units replaced Rapier and are to protect the deployed Field Army.
Most recent price I could find for P-8 (in 2024) was $242 million. RAF have stated they need 12 to patrol the Atlantic. I wonder how soon LRASM will be integrated on to P-8?
Integration has already begun on US P8s, we coukd really use it on our P8s and on F35B, but we are one of the world’s poor relations and I doubt we can afford it
Do we know if the GBU-63 1000lb JDAM-ER fits in the F-35B weapons bay?
Wonder if any uptick in numbers might manifest out of the ongoing SDR – which I have read elsewhere that publication of the SDR has been pushed back to the autumn.
According to Lord Robertson who leads the SDR it has a target of 2.75% GDP Defence spending by 2030, so up from 2.3% and spread across all services, its hard to imagine that RAF will have £750Mn to spend. HM Treasury seems to have set that 2.75% target in profound disregard for the Cold War levels threat and hollowing out of 25 years neglect. The Defence Select Committee did notice that the SDR is not threat and need based so wildly unrealistic. However they didn’t insist that it must be, so HM Treasury get their way and ignore that everything… Read more »
$242 million is roughly £195 million, so 3 extra P-8 for the RAF would cost £585 million.
David, If true, this delayed publication of SDR begars belief. Given that there were reviews that covered much the same ground in 2021 and 2023, doing an update should not have taken that long.
Many criticised Rachel Reeves for taking nearly 4 months to get to grips with all the ramifications of the very complex British economy with no prior usable work to rely on and come up with a Budget. Why should it take well over a year to do a Defence Review?
SB, Very true. The capability gap that we had was far too long and we had to have that gap covered by NATO assets. I recall that the Nimrod MRA4 requirement was originally for 27 aircraft!
Tracked a Russian landing ship? So could a Cessna 142 from a flying club. The primary mission is way more complex, maybe just maybe people yarping could flesh the capabilities out a bit more. Then Joe Public might appreciate the aircraft more.
Hi Lonpfrb, where do you get the notion that Lord Robertson is working to a 2.75% of GDP figure? Starmer has only agreed under pressure to 2.5% at some vague indeterminate point in the future, which many now think might be 2032.
In interested in where your 2.75% comes from?
I’ve been setting 2.75% as the real number for a while now.
The issue at hand is that Robertson is nobody’s fool and won’t kow-tow and put his name to any old report. You can see that over at Thin Pinstriped Line when he was on the receiving end of this.
Now with more experience and nothing to loose he will say what he thinks.
Shows how amateur this lot are that they hadn’t grasped this before appointing him.