Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space Solutions Worldwide
  • Home
  • /
  • Defence
  • /
  • Boeing to support RAF Poseidon aircraft and training

Defence

Boeing to support RAF Poseidon aircraft and training

Boeing and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) have signed an agreement for Boeing to support the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) fleet of Poseidon MRA1 maritime patrol aircraft and training of the personnel who operate them.

Image Copyright Boeing

“Our new Poseidon fleet continues to grow from strength to strength and is already defending the UK’s maritime interests at home and abroad” said Defence Secretary Ben Wallace. “This contract with Boeing Defence UK secures our critical submarine-hunting aircraft capabilities whilst also creating a home-grown training enterprise and creating over 150 British jobs.”

Advertisement
ODU RT

Under the aircraft and training support contract, valued at £233.5 million, Boeing will provide maintenance services, spares and repairs, including tools and ground support equipment, as well as supply chain management, forecasting and inventory management, and airworthiness services for the RAF’s Poseidon MRA1 fleet.

The training element of the contract will offer support to courseware design and a suite of Boeing-built training systems to prepare aircrew and maintainers to safely and effectively operate and maintain the fleet. Boeing will provide the flight instructors to train Poseidon pilots, and under the terms of a subcontract, Burgess Hill-based CAE UK will create more jobs in the UK to provide rear crew and engineering instructors, and console operators and controllers who will perform role playing and support functions during training and mission rehearsal exercises.

These agreements will create more than 150 jobs in the UK, including over 100 at RAF Lossiemouth in northern Scotland. Boeing employees are already working alongside RAF personnel at the station in Moray, supporting the current fleet of five Poseidons.

“The P-8A Poseidon brings the RAF critical reconnaissance capabilities, and we are proud to be a trusted partner in helping to keep RAF aircrew trained, and the Poseidon mission ready,” said Anna Keeling, managing director of Boeing Defence UK. “We are excited to see our continued growing presence in Scotland with the creation of these highly-skilled jobs, in addition to our existing footprint of more than 2,500 employees across the UK, reaffirming our commitment to help strengthen the aerospace and defence sector in Scotland.”

The RAF is on contract for nine Poseidon aircraft with five already delivered and the remaining four scheduled for later this year, when around 200 Boeing employees are expected to be based at RAF Lossiemouth focused on maintenance, training and support.

The second of two Operational Flight Trainers (OFTs), jointly developed by Boeing and CAE for the Poseidon fleet, arrived at RAF Lossiemouth last month. Both are being installed in the Boeing-built Strategic Facility, which can accommodate up to three Poseidon aircraft along with squadrons and mission support facilities.

Advertisement
DSEI 2025

The Poseidon supports anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface unit warfare, surveillance and long range search and rescue for the UK. More than a dozen UK-based suppliers produce components for the P-8, making up five percent of every P-8 aircraft around the world. Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group has built and delivered more than 900 auxiliary fuel tanks from its production facility in Cambridge.

 

 

Advertisement
Babcock LB
Royal Navy establishes autonomous minesweeping capability

Defence

Royal Navy establishes autonomous minesweeping capability

4 July 2025

The Royal Navy has - for the first time - established an autonomous minesweeping capability, after new systems were delivered to help combat the rapidly evolving threat of naval mines.

Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

Aerospace Defence Security Space

Serco appoints Keith Williams as Chair

4 July 2025

Serco has appointed Keith Williams to the Board as a Non-Executive Director and Chair designate.

BAE Systems to continue developing AFRL

Defence

BAE Systems to continue developing AFRL's BATDOK

4 July 2025

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has selected BAE Systems to continue development and support deployment of the Battlefield Assisted Trauma Distributed Operations Kit (BATDOK) via the new Force Optimization through Rapid-prototyping, Gear Enhancements & Innovative Technology (FORGE-IT) programme.

Boeing appoints Stephen Parker as CEO of BDS

Defence Security Space

Boeing appoints Stephen Parker as CEO of BDS

3 July 2025

Boeing has appointed Stephen (Steve) Parker as president and chief executive officer of its Defense, Space & Security (BDS) business, effective immediately.

Advertisement
Gulfstream RT
Lancashire aims at advancing cyber-enabled defence and security

Defence Security Events

Lancashire aims at advancing cyber-enabled defence and security

3 July 2025

Over 200 senior business leaders, investors, policymakers and academics from across the UK gathered this week at the Lancashire Cyber Festival to discuss Lancashire’s opportunity to become a global leader in cyber-enabled defence and security.

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

Aerospace Defence Security

Airframe Designs aligns with US NCAMP standards

3 July 2025

Airframe Designs has aligned its material systems with the US National Centre for Advanced Materials Performance (NCAMP) which works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and industry partners to support its existing testing processes.

Advertisement
Leonardo RT