This is a great story
Fleet Challenge 2014 wrapped up its annual anti-submarine warfare competition April 10 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. This year’s winners were the allied P-8A Poseidon aircrew from the Pro’s Nest of Patrol Squadron (VP) 30, followed closely in second place by VP-4 Skinny Dragons flying the P-3C, and third place taken by a VP-5 Mad Fox crew in a P-8A. “Fleet Challenge was a great, challenging experience and a superb opportunity to fly together as a British crew on a real submarine target,” said Royal Air Force Master Aircrewman Mark Utting from VP-30.
Click the image to read more about the Seedcorn personnel
Lets just all forget we are bumming a ride :)
Given the demise of the UK airborne ASW capability, i.e., the Nimrods out of Kinloss, I find it interesting that the RAF is still able to assign people to exchange postings to keep at least some specialist knowledge and capability. Given their success in this recent competition, they appear to have maintained a very high standard indeed. Long may this continue. I have pleasant memories of working with RAF crews flying from NAS Jax when I was on the staff of ComPatWing 11 and later in VP 5.
Cdr JM Garrick (USN, Ret)
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20140407/DEFREG01/304070018/UK-Team-Train-Triton-Government-Ponders-Purchase
Interesting to note that the seed corn initiative is now being expanded to cover operation of the triton UAV. Could be an indication we are headed down the P8 Triton path in 2015.
Although not operating in an ASW role. UK and Canadian aircrew have been embedded in RAAF AP3C Orion SAR flights in the ongoing search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
http://videos.viostream.com/1563_164515_39801_mp4hd.mp4
http://www.defence.gov.au/Operations/southernindianocean/
And dozens more have come over and joined the RAAF permanently. You could more or less raise your own crew. Maybe two.
Hi
Really need to see the answers for 4th April regarding that.
Anyone know where I can find them?
Cheers
Welcome to Think Defence JM
A small post by someone over at MPN seems to suggest (with some credibility) that the favoured option in the RAF at the moment is a buy of 6 + 4 P-8s over six years with the option for 6 more. They claim their source has a good track record when it comes to things like this.
It’d certainly make sense for the MoD to buy P-8 OTS when we have a number of allies using a design with good life left in it and crews that are so proficient in its operation.