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MPAs currently in Scotland

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Len123
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MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Len123 » Wed Dec 03, 2014 6:31 pm

Anyone know the reasoning behind the MPAs currently at Lossie. Didn't think there were any more exercises planned for this year?

Cheers

Dylan
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Phil H
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Phil H » Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:49 pm

Similar MPA deployments were previously held late November / early December, at RAF Leuchars.
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POL
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by POL » Thu Dec 04, 2014 8:36 am

Thought these were here on a proper mission?

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StandardTom
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by StandardTom » Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:09 am

EGCC wrote:Thought these were here on a proper mission?
From my experience up at Kinloss "back in the day", it sounds like it.
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Mike
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Mike » Thu Dec 04, 2014 10:27 am

The post in this thread from GunnySonics explains all :- viewtopic.php?f=74&t=107249&p=674244#p674244
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Len123
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Len123 » Thu Dec 04, 2014 12:25 pm

Thanks for that Mike

Regards

Dylan
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ChrisP
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by ChrisP » Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:23 pm

Aviation Week

http://aviationweek.com/defense/canadia ... e-scotland

Canadians, French, U.S. Hunt For Submarine Off Scotland

LONDON—The U.K. called in assistance to help hunt for a foreign submarine off the west coast of Scotland starting in late November.

Maritime patrol aircraft (MPAs) from France, Canada and the U.S. conducted patrols in conjunction with British surface warships in the search for the submarine in late November and the first week of December, operating out of RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland.

The incident began when a periscope was sighted in waters where U.K. and other submarines would normally surface as they head into or out of the Royal Navy’s submarine base at Faslane, home of the U.K.’s ballistic missile submarines.

At the height of the operation, aircraft involved in the hunt included two U.S. Navy P-3 Orions, a single CP-140 Aurora from the Royal Canadian Air Force and a Dassault Atlantique 2 of the French navy. Also involved was one of the U.K.’s Raytheon Sentinel radar-reconnaissance aircraft.

The U.K. defense ministry and the participating air arms have not confirmed they were hunting for a submarine. But a U.K. defense ministry spokesman told Aviation Week that Britain had “requested assistance from allied forces for basing of maritime patrol aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth for a limited period.

The aircraft are conducting Maritime Patrol activity with the Royal Navy; we do not discuss the detail of maritime operations.”

A spokesman for the Royal Canadian Air Force said: “Following a request for assistance from the United Kingdom, the Canadian Armed Forces deployed one CP-140 Aurora Aircraft to RAF Lossiemouth for a limited time.”

Maritime patrol aircraft are occasionally deployed to Scotland, mainly for NATO’s Joint Warrior exercise. Such exercises are usually announced in advance, but November’s deployment was unexpected, with the aircraft and supporting airlifters arriving around Nov. 26. The deployment appeared to end last last week.

The incident comes more than a month after Swedish authorities halted a search for a foreign submarine operating in its territorial waters in the Stockholm archipelago. While the Swedish search was unsuccessful, defense officials said there was no doubt that the country’s waters had been violated by a foreign power.

It is not clear whether the submarine being hunted by the U.K. and other Western nations had entered U.K. territorial waters, or if the maritime patrol aircraft successfully located the sub.

The Sentinel may have been using its radar to try to spot periscope-sized objects on the surface and then cue MPAs onto the target.

On Nov. 28, the U.K. reported it was tracking four Russian warships passing through the Strait of Dover and into the English Channel heading out into the Atlantic. The surface ships included a Ropucha-class landing ship and an Udaloy-class destroyer. These were shadowed by HMS Tyne, a Royal Navy offshore patrol vessel.

The U.K. retired its own fixed-wing maritime patrol capability provided by the Nimrod in 2010, and has been limited to the use of ships and helicopters for the anti-submarine mission.

Andy_99
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Andy_99 » Tue Dec 09, 2014 2:47 pm

Bit of an Egg on face moment for the Govt...

Maybe we'll get a dedicated MPA aircraft as part of the next review.

On the other hand - we'll help India finance another before we finally pull the plug on aid

flicknife
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by flicknife » Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:12 pm

How many times have we had this conversation?

Agreed the nimrods were old. Let's be honest, their ancestry dates back to the Comet 4 (Civil... I'll wash my mouth out!). Anyhow, how many said we had a worldbeater of a maritime patrol aircraft in that aircraft, that could fly for hours without IFR. Like the Phantom before it, and Tornado more recently, we got rid in my books too soon, without looking for a replacement that would adequately fill the void.

As for the sub, a likely contender, if they are still in service is the Delta IV or something along those lines.

Flicknife

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Velvet Glove
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland (BBC)

Post by Velvet Glove » Wed Dec 10, 2014 12:07 pm


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jetnoise
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by jetnoise » Wed Dec 10, 2014 1:23 pm

Flicknife - I fully agree - now if only Dave hadn't cancelled the MRA4 four years ago. The MR2 was pretty damn good as a sub-hunter - the MRA4 was miles better.
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Len123
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Len123 » Thu Dec 11, 2014 5:46 pm

We've a habit of getting rid of good kit far to soon. I could understand if they had a newer, better replacement. But nearly 5 years (by the time of the next SDSR) later, not even a hint of a replacement.
Dylan Leonard
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Velvet Glove
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Velvet Glove » Fri Jan 09, 2015 5:41 pm


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toom317
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by toom317 » Fri Jan 09, 2015 7:33 pm

Ah Vlad the wag. Tells his sub commanders to get to the Clyde, raise your scope till someone sees it, then scurry back to Russia, and see if you can get back before the first MPA arrives on scene.
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Dazza37
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Dazza37 » Fri Jan 09, 2015 9:39 pm

It appears that both, The Press and Journal, and Moray MP, Angus Robertson may have missed the result of the recent referendum on Scottish independence with quotes such as the following...
...anger over Scotland’s lack of maritime patrol aircraft.
...as a maritime nation Scotland needs maritime patrol aircraft.
-Dazza :halo:
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onemac
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by onemac » Fri Jan 09, 2015 10:11 pm

Dazza37, he's an SNP lachie and therefore doesn't have a view beyond the party line - you do realise that they actually won the Referendum by getting the number of votes they did? As for the quotes, of course Scotland is a Maritime nation (historically) and RAF Kinloss was the major UK base for years of Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA's); he just omitted the rest of the country in his statement like the blinkered politician he is :D

But spyplanes? All I saw was a couple of P-3's! Did my SBS miss the Rivet Joint(s) and U-2's????

Al :Wow:

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Dazza37
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Dazza37 » Sat Jan 10, 2015 1:54 am

onemac wrote:But spyplanes? All I saw was a couple of P-3's! Did my SBS miss the Rivet Joint(s) and U-2's????
Al, you weren't s'posed to see them on your SBS, they're spy planes, innit?! :P

-Dazza
I rock, you don't...

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davekench
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by davekench » Sat Jan 10, 2015 9:56 am

Dazza37 wrote:
onemac wrote:But spyplanes? All I saw was a couple of P-3's! Did my SBS miss the Rivet Joint(s) and U-2's????
Al, you weren't s'posed to see them on your SBS, they're spy planes, innit?! :P

-Dazza
Dazza,
I am not sure about your spelling but I have picked up at least 4 different U-2's :clap: :clap:

Regards Dave

Contrail1958
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by Contrail1958 » Sat Jan 10, 2015 10:12 am

onemac wrote:Dazza37, he's an SNP lachie and therefore doesn't have a view beyond the party line - you do realise that they actually won the Referendum by getting the number of votes they did? As for the quotes, of course Scotland is a Maritime nation (historically) and RAF Kinloss was the major UK base for years of Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA's); he just omitted the rest of the country in his statement like the blinkered politician he is :D

But spyplanes? All I saw was a couple of P-3's! Did my SBS miss the Rivet Joint(s) and U-2's????

Al :Wow:
Al to be fair and honest,in your own words you keep saying your SBS misses things,almost daily.
I've no doubt your bedroom poster of Alex is still polished every morning before "23" prayers... :lol:

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onemac
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Re: MPAs currently in Scotland

Post by onemac » Sun Jan 11, 2015 1:07 pm

Good to see them here whatever their status. I should explain that it's unusual to pick up the US P-3's when they're working a mission - even in BaseStation Reporter.
Dazza37 wrote:Al, you weren't s'posed to see them on your SBS, they're spy planes, innit?! :P
I'm frightfully concerned for the members on here who post in the heads-up board about these 'spy plane' movements. If they know, the men in black know that they know. And you know that I know so there's no escape :(
Contrail1958 wrote:Al to be fair and honest,in your own words you keep saying your SBS misses things,almost daily.
Not quite correct Mr C. What I did say was the radar plot doesn't pick some stuff up but the reporter (list) does :P I've 'logged' 10x U-2's, a WB-57F, an E8C-20 and ZZ664 whatever that is :thumb:
Contrail1958 wrote:I've no doubt your bedroom poster of Alex is still polished every morning before "23" prayers... :lol:
How did you know my poster of His Highness Alex was framed and behind glass :huh: Sadly the life-sized poster of Princess Nicola is getting a bit soggy around the lips but I'm hoping the blow-up doll, when it arrives, will be a good likeness :whistle:

Al

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