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UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

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Trenchard
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by Trenchard » Mon Nov 23, 2015 7:34 pm

pjharvey wrote:Was there any mention of engine options? RR would be preferable I'm sure, but I have a feeling we'll be getting them with whatever they had on in the shop window.
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by ColintheCaterpillar » Mon Nov 23, 2015 7:45 pm

pjharvey wrote:Also, has it definitely been said they are going to be RAF assets? I suppose there's a possibility they could go to the navy otherwise.
Where's FAA's current or even recent large multi-engine experience? You have to second a Sqn of RAF types to man it! :)

As for Lossie being the apparent MoB - they're going to need to be giving the front end crews fairly robust Returns of Service or they'll have those who don't particularly fancy living north of the wall walking out for the NG 737 operating airlines as soon as their RoS is up.

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Thunder
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by Thunder » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:01 pm

cfett75 wrote:I doubt it will be a case of adapting existing hangars. There are none at lossie that can hold a P8, so i would imagine it will be a case of flattening some buildings and starting from scratch for the new fleet.
K16 and 17 could easily be adapted to take the P8 with tail sticking out the end, or with some extra work in redesigning the roof beams could take two inside altogether, the same thing happened at Kinloss for the Nimrod back in the day. Remember these Hangars took the Shackletons when 8 Sqn was resident.
Last edited by Thunder on Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by toom317 » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:05 pm

ColintheCaterpillar wrote:
As for Lossie being the apparent MoB - they're going to need to be giving the front end crews fairly robust Returns of Service or they'll have those who don't particularly fancy living north of the wall walking out for the NG 737 operating airlines as soon as their RoS is up.
What a load of Meat and two veg. Kinloss was one of the best bases going and Lossie was/is just as good. There are plenty of English folk who stayed on living up there after they left the RAF.
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by Thunder » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:09 pm

toom317 wrote:
ColintheCaterpillar wrote:
As for Lossie being the apparent MoB - they're going to need to be giving the front end crews fairly robust Returns of Service or they'll have those who don't particularly fancy living north of the wall walking out for the NG 737 operating airlines as soon as their RoS is up.
What a load of Meat and two veg. Kinloss was one of the best bases going and Lossie was/is just as good. There are plenty of English folk who stayed on living up there after they left the RAF.

Hear hear!!!

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by Nighthawke » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:19 pm

Since the P-8 is basically a 737NG then the obvious answer is that Mr O'Leary runs them - ready-trained crew on type :lol:

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by Tryfan » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:26 pm

Surfrdan wrote:So which squadrons are top of the list to reform on Typhoon? 21 and 23?
43 and 56 please. Dare we hope to see Leuchars restored as an air defence base as well?
And while we're at it, the reinstatement of military SAR throughout the UK. Please Santa?????/

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by pjharvey » Mon Nov 23, 2015 10:06 pm

They could probably assist in search, but a P-8 isn't going to be able to winch you out of the sea
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by thorny1a » Mon Nov 23, 2015 10:23 pm

Why 9?

Well I'd have ordered 19 of them!
Although that's probably why I'd never be a good politician... or an accountant!! :Oops:

Plennnnnnty of scope to keep 9 busy, I'm sure the French / EU deployment would accept some help in the horn of Africa for counter piracy work
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by EGDR » Mon Nov 23, 2015 10:28 pm

jetnoise wrote:as the P-8 range is only about 2/3 of what the MRA4 could do.
1200nmi combat radius looks adequate to me.

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by ColintheCaterpillar » Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:37 pm

toom317 wrote:
ColintheCaterpillar wrote:
As for Lossie being the apparent MoB - they're going to need to be giving the front end crews fairly robust Returns of Service or they'll have those who don't particularly fancy living north of the wall walking out for the NG 737 operating airlines as soon as their RoS is up.
What a load of Meat and two veg. Kinloss was one of the best bases going and Lossie was/is just as good. There are plenty of English folk who stayed on living up there after they left the RAF.
That as may be, but give people a type rating - something that never came with the old jet at Kinloss - and people may find the grass greener depending on other factors (it's all very well saying people have "retired" there and loved the place etc, but the the people who'll be manning this jet will include a lot of people for whom the previous "T&Cs" of being a service person aren't quite as good (pensions, pay, quarters etc), and however much they love a place, the pull from outside may be great). And much as that part of Scotland is a lovely place, some people don't necessarily don't envisage a career there. It's a current reality of the economics of life.

You may find it a load of "Meat and two veg" (your words, not mine), but I think they'd be doing well to try and get as many as they can on a fairly decent 5-6 year RoS - particularly on a tactically complex platform such as an MPA; it may be something that the RAF has had recent experience of with the other frames that they operate that come with the type rating!

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by 2e1var » Tue Nov 24, 2015 6:54 am

KyleG wrote:
jetnoise wrote:as the P-8 range is only about 2/3 of what the MRA4 could do.
1200nmi combat radius looks adequate to me.

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by reheat module » Tue Nov 24, 2015 7:42 am

Looks like reasonable coverage for the 'Cola' Peninsula, especially if you use the earlier Nimrod options of Bodo/Andoya or Keflavik for deployment.
As for Gib, 'bring it on' : Open Gate, Closed Gate exercises every month etc, I went 13 times in 1 year.
Hic, - great for camera gear too. :thumb:
Personally delighted the option is Lossiemouth - busy, but a stupendous place all round.
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by EGDR » Tue Nov 24, 2015 12:33 pm

2e1var wrote:
You wouldn't be saying that if you lived in Gibraltar !
Yes I would, it can stop for fuel in Gibraltar.

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by Freeman Lowell » Tue Nov 24, 2015 1:41 pm

Nighthawke wrote:Since the P-8 is basically a 737NG then the obvious answer is that Mr O'Leary runs them - ready-trained crew on type :lol:
Nice idea but would the weapons kit survive the repeated 'crash' landings like SLF can. ;)
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by Maverick231 » Sat Nov 28, 2015 1:22 pm

Any idea when the order is going to be placed?
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by C24 » Tue Dec 01, 2015 7:59 am

Speaking of basing, has anyone considered the current trend in storms over the North of the British Isles?

If it continues to be the case, perhaps lower down might be a wise move. Just a thought.
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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by hugh91 » Tue Dec 01, 2015 8:19 am

Yes as long as its Prestwick if not Lossie is the obvious choice.

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by scimitar » Tue Dec 01, 2015 10:01 am

C24 wrote:Speaking of basing, has anyone considered the current trend in storms over the North of the British Isles?

If it continues to be the case, perhaps lower down might be a wise move. Just a thought.
You have to admire the straw clutching.

Considering that the USN has it's P8's at Jacksonville, Florida and the prevailing weather situation there I wouldn't have thought that the UK weather situation was an issue.

But 10 out of 10 for straw clutching.

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Re: UK Confirms 9 Boeing P-8's to be purchased

Post by Thunder » Tue Dec 01, 2015 10:38 am

Might be worth taking into consideration the likelihood of "Haggis" strikes on take off and landing, those pesky little rodents get everywhere. Maybe South of the Border would be a better option?

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