Page 8 - AirForces - Monthly (February 2020)

NEWS United Kingdom

Poseidon MRA1 flies

with all-RAF crew

P-8A POSEIDON MRA1 120 Squadron, which
ZP801 Pride of Moray re-formed on April 1, 2018,
has completed its first will be the first operational
training flight with an RAF Poseidon unit at
RAF crew. The mission RAF Lossiemouth, Moray,
took place from Naval aircrew training is being
Air Station Jacksonville, carried out by personnel
Florida, on December 4, from Lincolnshire-
the crew being made up based No 54 Squadron First overseas
of personnel from Nos 120 at RAF Waddington.
and 54 Squadrons. This first The latter is the exercise for
aircraft was handed over to Intelligence, Surveillance,
the RAF on October 30 at Target Acquisition and
Boeing’s facilities in Seattle, Reconnaissance (ISTAR) joint RAF/Qatari
Washington, and it flew to Operational Conversion
Jacksonville the following Unit, which has been given Typhoon squadron
day to begin training (see the responsibility for RAF
First Poseidon delivered to P-8A crew training. It does Three Typhoon FGR4s from No 12 Squadron rehearsing for their flypast over Qatar.
RAF, December 2019, p8). not have any of its own Crown Copyright
Training will continue at aircraft, but borrows them
Jacksonville in preparation as required. A second RAF TYPHOONS took No 12 Squadron was Excellency the Emir of
for the arrival of the operational RAF Poseidon part in Qatar National Day re-formed on July 24, 2018 Qatar. The celebrations
first aircraft on UK soil, unit, No 201 Squadron, celebrations recently, as and will shortly become surrounding this day have
currently scheduled for will be established in No 12 Squadron jets flew a joint RAF and QEAF been a sight to behold –
February. Although No 2021. Dave Allport alongside the Qatari Emiri unit that will integrate the Qatari national pride
Air Force (QEAF) in what personnel from both is evident at literally every
The first RAF Poseidon MRA1, ZP801, on the flight line at NAS was the first time that the nations. The squadron street corner. We have
Jacksonville, Florida, after returning from a training sortie on unit had flown in Qatar will prepare the QEAF for loved playing our small
December 16. RAF/CXX Squadron since being re-established. the standing up of its first part and are already
Four Typhoon FGR4s purely Qatari operated looking forward to next
from the unit flew over Typhoon squadron by 2022. year when 12 Squadron
the capital city Doha on Wg Cdr Chris Wright, will return to Qatar with
December 18, as part of officer commanding No 12 our own Qatari pilots
Exercise Epic Skies III. The Squadron, said: “We greatly and groundcrew.”
series of manoeuvres took enjoyed the privilege of The next phase of
place at Al Udeid Air Base participation in the Qatari joint training will take
and involved technical National Day Flypast over place in the UK at RAF
training and joint flying. Doha, witnessed by His Coningsby, Lincolnshire.

Carrier milestones HMS ‘Prince of Wales’ sails into her homeport of Portsmouth
for the first time with two Wildcat helicopters visible on deck.
for Royal Navy Crown Copyright

THE ROYAL Navy’s the Air Warfare Centre,
second Queen Elizabeth- was designed to provide
class aircraft carrier, HMS ‘end-to-end’ testing of
Prince of Wales (R09), was embarked F-35B fighters.
commissioned into the fleet The future flagship hosted
on December 10 during a British F-35Bs for the first
ceremony at HM Naval Base time at sea – followed by
Portsmouth. The warship US Marine Corps jets. The
had left Rosyth Dockyard UK Lightnings comprised
in Scotland on September three jets from No 17 Test
19 for initial sea trials and and Evaluation Squadron
arrived in Portsmouth on (TES) based at Edwards Air
November 16. HMS Prince Force Base in California,
of Wales is marginally larger as well as three that
and heavier than her sister crossed the Atlantic from
vessel, HMS Queen Elizabeth RAF Marham, Norfolk.
(R08), making her the largest Tests included mission from the ship, developing Cdre Steve Moorhouse, envelope of her aircraft in
warship ever built for the UK. briefs; preparation of the procedures ahead of a said: “Embarking UK F-35B warmer temperatures.
Meanwhile, HMS Queen jets – including arming detachment deploying Lightnings for the first time A single F-35B that
Elizabeth recently returned them using the ship’s alongside UK jets on the and integrating them within was left on board Queen
from a second deployment unique automated weapon carrier’s maiden operational the carrier strike group Elizabeth after a technical
conducting aviation trials handling system; launching; deployment next year. is a significant milestone failure was transported
with UK F-35B jets off the fighting the mission Supporting the strike group and we are well set for an back across the Atlantic,
east coast of the US. The (including weapons drops) throughout were Merlin equally demanding 2020 then repaired and launched
first-in-class carrier returned and returning to Queen helicopters from 820 Naval and our first operational from the deck on December
to Portsmouth on December Elizabeth. The training Air Squadron (NAS) and 845 deployment in 2021.” 16 while berthed in HM
4 and more details are reached its climax with four NAS, as well as a further HMS Queen Elizabeth Naval Base Portsmouth.
now available on the UK Lightnings launched Merlin from 814 NAS and also conducted warm- This was the first alongside
WESTLANT 19 deployment. from the deck within a Wildcat from 815 NAS. weather trials on her fixed-wing flight for the
The five-week operational seconds of each other. Commanding officer of propulsion systems and carrier and first launch of a
test phase, headed up by USMC F-35Bs flew to and HMS Queen Elizabeth, expanded the operating British F-35 in UK waters.

8 // February 2020 #383 www.Key.Aero

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08 UKNews AFM Feb2020.indd 8 06/01/2020 12:40:19