To mark the Bailiwick of Guernsey’s 76th ‘Liberation Day’, the Royal Air Force have announce that the UK’s sixth Poseidon MRA Mk1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft, ZP 806, will be known as ‘Guernsey’s Reply’ to honour the close bond between 201 Squadron, the island of Guernsey and Flight Lieutenant Herbert Machon OBE.
According to a news release:
“Herbie Machon left his home in Guernsey shortly before the German occupation during WWII and joined the British Military. He was destined to fly Spitfires in the RAF and, in honour and memory of his countrymen living under occupation, he named his Mk XVI Spitfire “Guernsey’s Reply”. Herbie sadly passed away in 2004 and 201 Squadron personnel had the privilege of acting as pall bearers at his funeral.”
You can read more about this here.
Due to be delivered to the RAF in September 2021, ‘Guernsey’s Reply’ is undergoing its final checks at the Boeing factory in Seattle before joining the growing fleet. The first five Poseidon aircraft have been named Pride of Moray, City of Elgin, Terence Bulloch DSO DFC, Spirit of Reykjavik and Fulmar.
The RAF Poseidon fleet, which will total nine aircraft, is already providing maritime patrol capabilities working side-by-side with the Royal Navy to secure the seas around the UK.
The Royal Air Force say on their website that Boeing’s Poseidon MRA1 (P-8A) is a multi-role maritime patrol aircraft, equipped with sensors and weapons systems for anti-submarine warfare, as well as surveillance and search and rescue missions. It features an APY-10 radar for high-resolution mapping, an acoustic sensor system, an electro-optical / IR turret and electronic support measures.
The aircraft can also be armed with a weapons system that includes torpedoes for engaging sub-surface targets.
Armed with systems including Torpedo…isn’t this going to be ONLY torpedo with current plans?
I meant the ONLY weapon system
Australia we disbanded 10 Squadron which was the first RAAF Squadron in action in ww2 from day one having the misfortune of being in England to pick up they’re Sunderlands and being the most effective Squadron in coastal command in regards of U-Boats sunk . But instead of keeping the great legacy alive they kept the Bench warmers of WW2 letting 10 disappear .
No 10 Squadron RAAF hasn’t disappeared.
It was active 1939-1945 and reactivated in 1949 and still operational today, currently equipped with 2 x AP-3C (EW) aircraft, which will be replaced with 4 x MC-55A ISR/EW aircraft.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._10_Squadron_RAAF
What a strange post
great example of post-colonial neo classical Bush English
Well absolutely ! He’s either @ 100 years old with a long memory of a bad experience or related to Nicola Sturgeon 😂
Ha Ha…… very good.
Arriving just in time!
Russian Navy commissions Project 885M submarine Kazan
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/news-detail/russian-navy-commissions-project-885m-submarine-kazan
George, did you mean a MkXIV Spitfire? I don’t believe there was a MkXVI.
Mk XVI was a Packard Merlin powered Mk IX. Lots of them built in 1944-45, many with a bubble canopy. https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Flive.staticflickr.com%2F5623%2F22419274462_735ffcbdd0_b.jpg&f=1&nofb=1
Ah, ok, thought he was on about the MkXIV’s.
Now all they need to do is buy more of these because the current tiny fleet is woefully inadequate.
Do you think we should buy another one or about 100 ? I would prefer about 100 personally…..
That is a great name for a special aircraft.
Great names. Now just need to try to find the funding for another 4 or 5 of these aircraft
Or would you rather have the full 5 wedgetail?
3 extra Poseidon for a fleet of 12, 1 extra Wedgetail for a fleet of 4 would seem a better mix to me if more of either were actually on the table.
Getting at least 16 Protector’s and then a few sets of Seaspray could also be a cost effective way of adding long-endurance surveillance platforms to the maritime patrol fleet.
Is this aircraft capable of carrying the LRASM? Surely this is a consideration in the interim anti ship missile procurement plan especially with the f35 capable of carrying it too. This would significantly improve the offensive capability of the aircrafts involved and the navy as a whole
The P-8A is currently capable of using Harpoon, the USN and RAAF have both fired Harpoon in exercises such as RIMPAC.
Boeing is currently working on integrating LRASM:
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2021/04/boeing-secures-us73-m-order-for-lrasm-integration-on-p-8a-mpa/
The USN and RAAF both plan to operate LRASM from their P-8A aircraft (the RAAF have 200 LRASM on order and plan to also use it on F/A-18F too).
As for RAF aircraft, they’ll also be able to operate both Harpoon and LARASM, but only ‘if’ the UK Government decides to procure stocks of missiles.
Cheers,
Hi John, let’s hope the UK government orders ASMs with range and punch and in a good quantity for all its ships and aircraft and helo’s. There’s too much “fresh air” ffbnw…going on.
The UK is not going to buy LRASM. We are developing a supersonic anti-ship missile and a new cruise missile with France (FC/ASM – Perseus). The interim weapon will be NSM/JSM most likely (or simliar).
I just read today that the Afghanistan war cost us around £40 Billion. Imagine if we could have invested that into our military.
great name….superb timing! errr YEAH!