One of the German Navy’s new P-8A Poseidon aircraft will be deployed from the United Kingdom for the surveillance of Russian submarines

As it moves steadily forward with the incorporation of its new P-8A Poseidon aircraft, the German Navy is planning to deploy one of them from the United Kingdom to carry out joint missions monitoring Russian submarines in the North Atlantic — an operation expected to take place within the next few months, according to officials familiar with the matter last week. Specifically, both the German Defense Minister, Boris Pistorius, and his British counterpart, John Healey, indicated that this aircraft would join another P-8 from the Royal Air Force at the strategic RAF Lossiemouth base, located in Scottish territory.

Expanding on the details, both defense chiefs made a joint visit to the aforementioned Lossiemouth base, where they reaffirmed both countries’ commitment to Russian submarine surveillance missions. These operations are already backed by the Trinity House Agreement, now one year old, which establishes cooperation between Germany and the United Kingdom in this and other defense areas — among them the joint purchase of Sting Ray MOD 2 lightweight torpedoes, which are part of the arsenal of the Boeing-manufactured aircraft themselves.

Moreover, it can be stated that the German crews of the future fleet of P-8A Poseidon aircraft have already visited Scottish soil to join their British counterparts in training exercises, both aboard the aircraft and on the ground, to train in maintenance and logistics related to their operational use — with most of their training being conducted in the United States. Additionally, it is reported that on two occasions, German units have taken part in flights of British surveillance aircraft within the framework of NATO’s Baltic Sentry missions, contributing to the exchange with British personnel.

Looking more broadly in geographical terms, the decision to deploy a P-8A aircraft in the United Kingdom can be understood as part of a wider plan in which Berlin also considers Iceland a key point for deployment — both for its combat and replenishment ships. Minister Pistorius himself visited that country on the 19th of this month, an occasion on which he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Iceland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, to expand military cooperation.

In the words of the German official: “We are prepared to take on greater responsibility for stability and security here in the far north. The German Navy will deploy its frigates, submarines, and new maritime patrol aircraft to provide situational awareness in the North Atlantic. Russia’s parallel fleet threatens our critical maritime infrastructure every day.”

On the other hand, it is worth recalling that Berlin has ordered a total fleet of eight P-8A Poseidon aircraft, the first of which was already delivered earlier this month in Seattle. This fleet — which could even be expanded in number — is intended to replace the older P-3C Orion MPAs currently operating within the German Navy under the command of Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin,” based in Nordholz. At present, the service has only two operational aircraft, with the remaining six slated for transfer to Portugal.

*Images used for illustrative purposes.

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