German Poseidon to load up with UK torpedoes as nations team up to hunt subs
The UK and Germany will be conducting joint anti-submarine patrols to counter Russian aggression – with the German aircraft loading up with British Sting Ray torpedoes.
Defence Secretary John Healey said we are "living in a new era of threat" as he made the announcement.
He was speaking a year after both countries signed the Trinity House Agreement on greater cooperation on security matters and pledged to tighten their relationship to counter cyber threats.
One of the Deutsche Marine's P-8A Poseidon aircraft will visit RAF Lossiemouth for the first time in the coming months ahead of future joint activity side by side with the RAF in the North Atlantic.
It will operate alongside the UK's fleet of nine maritime patrol aircraft to help defend against Russian aggression.
German crews have already joined aircraft operating from the Scottish base as part of Nato's Baltic Sentry missions.
The Deutsche Marine will take delivery of its first P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft in November, and it will be deployed to RAF Lossiemouth alongside the UK’s own fleet of nine aircraft that helps secure the North Atlantic.
Germany has ordered eight of the cutting-edge aircraft as the country aims to boost its ability to counter threats at sea.
The move will see these aircraft and German crews operating side-by-side from the Scottish base to deter any threats.
The countries have already cooperated in this area on Nato's Baltic Sentry missions.
Train today so can fight together tomorrow
Mr Healey said: "We're in a new era of threat and that demands a new era for defence.
"And when we struck the Trinity House agreement a year ago today, we wanted it to be new, we recognised that it needed to be unique, we knew we needed a deeper partnership between Germany and the UK.
"And since then, with the increasing threats, this agreement has become more important still than it was a year ago.
"We train together today so that if needed, we know we can fight together tomorrow."
The countries have also pledged to tighten their ability to respond to cyber-attacks with the development of a secure cloud network, a digital system that allows the sharing of information in real time while defending against any threat.
German defence minister Boris Pistorius said: "This close cooperation will help us increase our ranges and operating radius significantly.
"We will therefore be able to increase our presence in the North Atlantic and monitor it more closely.
"This will contribute to maritime deterrence within Nato. To the same end, we will equip our Poseidon aircraft with British Sting Ray torpedoes."
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