Image Shows: As part of Joint Warrior 2016, Portugese F16’s have made RAF Lossiemouth their home for the duration. Today, Lossiemouth’s Photographers witnessed four of these fast jets departing on another exercise, heading out into the sun, to work out over the sea.
RAF LOSSIEMOUTH HOSTS EXERCISE JOINT WARRIOR AIRCRAFT
RAF Lossiemouth is once again hosting a contingent of international Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) and fast jets for Exercise Joint Warrior 16-2 which takes place from the 8th to 21st October.
Exercise Joint Warrior is a tri-service and multinational exercise conducted in the UK during the spring and the autumn of each year. This October RAF Lossiemouth will be hosting MPA aircraft such as the P-8A, and Atlantique. RAF Lossiemouth’s Typhoons will also take part in the Exercise alongside a detachment of Portuguese F-16s.
Flight Lieutenant Guy Radcliffe, the Exercise Operations Officer at RAF Lossiemouth, said:
“The hosting of these Exercise participants involves every section at RAF Lossiemouth. In order to facilitate each visiting units’ individual requirements for the Exercise, planning has been on-going since last spring 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, operating large aircraft from an airfield which is set up for much smaller, fast jets and fitting it all around RAF Lossiemouth’s own on-going high operational tempo, essential training, and QRA.”
The aircraft from the United Kingdom, Canada, France, USA and Portugal began arriving at RAF Lossiemouth from 5th October. All crews will be staying in local hotels for the duration of the Exercise.
Normally RAF Lossiemouth operates its flying programme from 0800 to 2300; however during this Exercise some night flying may take place outwith this period. There will be some departures and recoveries during the weekend but these