UK to extend Typhoon OSD to 2040 and form additional two sqn

[POL]

There's more than enough Typhoons up in the North and East of the UK, I think it's an excellent time to close RAF Leeming as a flying station and reactivate RAF St. Mawgan.

[Malcolm]

There's more than enough Typhoons up in the North and East of the UK, I think it's an excellent time to close RAF Leeming as a flying station and reactivate RAF St. Mawgan.

What? With the massive expansion of civil flights into/out of St Mawgan there won't be room for any Mil activity - They recently announced 2 (or was it 3?) extra Ryanair flights a week, bringing the total up to err, 2 or 3 a week.

My money is on RAF Marham for one Typhoon Sqn, and Lossie for the other.

[RubyRoo]

It's going to be a long while before any serious amount of F-35's will be based at RAF Marham.

I think it would be prudent to start moving Typhoon's in as the Tornado's are moved out.

Lossiemouth will have the new P-8's and Coningsby already has the OEU and OCU.

[POL]

What? With the massive expansion of civil flights into/out of St Mawgan there won't be room for any Mil activity - They recently announced 2 (or was it 3?) extra Ryanair flights a week, bringing the total up to err, 2 or 3 a week.

Exactly, they could be PFI'ed through Ryanair so that they can use them to ward off the likes of EasyJet, Wizz, etc.

[RubyRoo]

The operation of Typhoon won't affect any preparatory works going on for F-35. What are they really doing there? Constructing a few heat proof pads? Maybe installing a carrier ramp?

There's enough space to do both simultaneously.

[Thunder]

Lossie could take another Sqn of Typhoons into the vacant Northern HAS area, where QRA operate from at the moment. If the new Sqds are to operate solely on the Tranche 1 a/c and operate purely as a Interception Sqd as has been widely reported then this would make sense.

Move 15R Sqn and it's handful of Tornado's down to Marham, which would then free up Charlie and Delta dispersals and 16/17 Hangars, more than enough room for 9 P8's to operate from.

[09andrew]

A squadron of Typhoons for QRA down at Culdrose would make my summer holiday down to Cornwall much more interesting !!!

[Thunder]

The operation of Typhoon won't affect any preparatory works going on for F-35. What are they really doing there? Constructing a few heat proof pads? Maybe installing a carrier ramp?

There's enough space to do both simultaneously.

Think there's more to it than that.

I highly doubt Marham will see any Typhoon Sqds moving in. It's taken nearly 5 years to get Lossie up to Typhoon standard, by which time the F35 will be needing housed.

[pjharvey]

A squadron of Typhoons for QRA down at Culdrose would make my summer holiday down to Cornwall much more interesting !!!

This just wouldn't make any sense. There's no threat out towards the atlantic that would warrant a south west QRA.

[RubyRoo]

You can never trust the Irish.

[Agent K]

The operation of Typhoon won't affect any preparatory works going on for F-35. What are they really doing there? Constructing a few heat proof pads? Maybe installing a carrier ramp?

There's enough space to do both simultaneously.

You have to realise that they will not only be building up the visible infrastructure, but also the invisible such as hangar set-up and docks, engine, avionics etc. the spares and logistics chain, all the ground support equipment and more and all the logistics around the operation and support I cannot imagine that Marham would be looked at seriously at all.

[RubyRoo]

But all of that effort will have to be replicated at any base that currently doesn't support Typhoon anyway.

If it is just 2 extra squadrons, then 1 at Lossie and 1 at Coningsby will be fine. Tornado can be taken from Lossie and placed at Marham.

There's no need to start utilising any other base.

[09andrew]

A squadron of Typhoons for QRA down at Culdrose would make my summer holiday down to Cornwall much more interesting !!!

This just wouldn't make any sense. There's no threat out towards the atlantic that would warrant a south west QRA.

I thought there was a recent Russian excursion around the west coast and up the channel (thinking I read somewhere it was a potentially a mock attack on Plymouth) and that for 2 weeks in July there was a detachment of Typhoons down at Culdrose. Personally speaking though I'd like Leeming to be resorted to frontline duties as I live in the North west.

[Agent K]

But all of that effort will have to be replicated at any base that currently doesn't support Typhoon anyway.

If it is just 2 extra squadrons, then 1 at Lossie and 1 at Coningsby will be fine. Tornado can be taken from Lossie and placed at Marham.

There's no need to start utilising any other base.

I'd have thought that Coningsby having then 3 operational squadrons and especially an OCU would be too much? Marham, given the proposed F35 buy and housing a number of squadrons as well as an OEU/OCU similarly would be too full? Just my thoughts, we'll wait and see!

[Lightningnut]

Leuchars Camp is still operational and has two HAS sites available. Now that would be nice!!

[prefontaine72]

Agreed Leuchars would be nice, 43 and 111 Typhoon squadrons there would be even better lol

[cfett75]

The chain of thought amongst us up here was that 29(R) would move up to Lossie when XV(R) move out in order to make room at Coningsby for a third operational squadron. Leuchars would be a good option for an additional two Typhoon squadrons as the base has all the IT infrastructure, and building now to support the squadrons without needing massive upgrades.

[onemac]

XV (R) Sqn have few airframes and most of them are bound to be due to RTP or storage. I believe the plan to integrate XV (R) Sqn withing the existing Marham squadrons would make sense, especially as the P-8's are reported to be based at Lossie.

The move from HAS sites to hard standings is purely a manning issue but that's not to say there could be one built on the northern site. Depending on how many P-8's are ordered there would be plenty room on Charlie and Delta for another Typhoon squadron and, as Lossie has the better weather stats and is located nearer the Highlands Restricted Area, Tain and Cape Wrath, again it would make sense to have a training squadron based at Lossie.

One factor I firmly believe in is that there may be up to 3 x P-8's on permanent detachment to a hot country or even based in Cyprus. With all that's going on in the Middle East, detachments out there are becoming the norm for all our squadrons.

Al

[Thunder]

Agree Al, although 9 a/c are supposedly to get ordered the likelihood of all 9 being at whatever base at the same time is very remote. The problem I see is available hangarage, which at Lossie would have to involve the full reinstatement of the Northern HAS dispersal, in order to get another Typhoon Sqd in there.

[Thunder]

When was Leeming used by 29 Sqn Typhoons?