Joint Warrior lifts off at RAF Lossie

A MAJOR interational maritime exercise has lifted off at RAF Lossiemouth.

Joint Warrior will see aircraft and personnel from the UK, United States, Belgium, Germany, Holland, France, Norway, Denmark, Canada and Sweden take part in operations off the north west coast of Scotland.

The two week exercise will maritime patrol aircraft such as the Aurora, P3 and Atlantique as well as Pavehawk Search and Rescue helicopters. RAF Lossiemouth’s Tornados will also take part in the exercise.

Flt Lt Heidi Billany, exercise co-ordinator for RAF Lossiemouth, said: "Exercise Joint Warrior is a major exercise, and once again RAF Lossiemouth has been tasked to host some of these assets, including the entire MPA fleet of up to nine Maritime Patrol aircraft and associated support units, American Rescue Sqn HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters, the UK Tactical Intelligence and Imagery Wing and some German contract exercise enabler aircraft.

"The hosting of these exercise participants will involve every section at RAF Lossiemouth. In order to facilitate each visiting Units’ individual requirements for the exercise planning has been ongoing since October last year to ensure that we are ready.

"It will be an extremely busy fortnight for the station and the airfield itself. Particular challenges will involve working with different coalition countries which we have not worked with before, operating large aircraft from an airfield which is set up for much smaller, fast jets and fitting it all around RAF Lossiemouth’s own ongoing high operational tempo and essential training."

Aircraft from the Canadian and US Air Forces and the French, US and Brazilian Navies started arriving over the weekend. All crews are staying in local hotels during the exercise.