Earlier this month, Boeing ‘delivered’ the first of nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) to the UK’s Royal Air Force; this replaces the UK’s ‘retired’ Nimrod aircraft.

Boeing (www.boeing.com) formally delivered the aircraft to the US Navy during a ceremony at the Boeing Military Delivery Center in Tukwila (Washington) on 29 October.

It was subsequently flown to the US Navy’s Naval Air Station Jacksonville (JAX), Florida, where it was officially handed over to the UK.

Royal Air Force crew are working with the aircraft at JAX, before flying it to the UK in January. All nine P-8A aircraft will be based at Lossiemouth, Scotland.

As part of a collaborative programme with the US Navy, pilots and ‘maintainers’ from the RAF have been stationed at JAX since 2012.

Called ‘Project Seedcorn’, this arrangement has allowed RAF pilots to maintain their maritime patrol skills in advance of receiving the P-8A.

The P-8 is a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and ‘littoral’ operations.

In addition, it performs humanitarian and search-and-rescue missions around the world.