A P8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft from RAF Lossiemouth has been conducting exercises with HMS Mersey a Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel in the Baltic Sea Region.
The aircraft from CXX Squadron, met up with the Royal Naval vessel off the Estonian coast, where the ship is conducting a Presence and Patrol operation. The naval deployment will see the ship’s company of HMS Mersey work and integrate with various Joint Expeditionary Force nations, and also NATO Allies, in the Baltic Sea region.
The aim of the visit is to increase understanding and build interoperability using the flexibility and versatility of the Joint Expeditionary Force framework to enable this activity. In addition, the opportunity is being taken to conduct integration training with other UK military Forces currently in the region.
Flying from RAF Lossiemouth the crew of the Poseidon, first established communication with HMS Mersey before working together to compile a complete picture of maritime activity in the region.
This was an excellent example of what the Poseidon can do… reassuring our Allies and cooperating closely with our Royal Navy colleagues at range.
The ability to project our RAF Maritime Patrol capability into different areas like this allows us to better understand the battlespace, both above and below the waves, and this ability continues to grow as Poseidon builds towards Full Operational Capability. Despite the poor weather, we were able to achieve our mission objectives whilst conducting valuable training, which prepares us better for future challenges, whatever those may be.
Wing Commander Livesey
Officer Commanding of CXX Squadron
The capabilities that Poseidon brings is impressive, especially on a foggy day like today when we struggle to identify shipping contacts. Operating together we were able to generate a recognised maritime picture of activity across the Baltic Sea region and is another demonstration of our abilities to integrate and operate alongside partners and allies either under the JEF framework or as part of the NATO alliance.
Lieutenant Commander James ‘Mitch’ Mitchell
HMS Mersey Captain
The RAF and RN activities in the Baltic Sea are part of the UK contribution to the NATO reassurance measures that have been put in place to demonstrate the Alliance collective defence posture in the region.
