Joint Warrior hailed success

A massive war games exercise based on Moray has been hailed a success.

For two weeks aircraft from around the globe have been jetting in and out of RAF Lossiemouth as part of Operation Joint Warrior.

The spectacle of planes leaving the base to take part in training drills over land and sea has been a regular sight.

Highly-skilled foreign crews have now left Moray for the last time after the climax of the exercise, which involved about 5,700 military personnel in different locations.

Plane spotters turned up at the end of the base’s runways to catch a glimpse of the visiting aircraft, with the Portuguese F-16 fighter jets the biggest draw.

Huge Poseidon P-8 spy planes from the US Navy were again part of

“The whole exercise has worked seamlessly”

the drills in advance of Lossiemouth becoming their permanent home in 2020.

The familiar sight of Sea King helicopters also returned to the Moray skyline with added radar equipment from the time when they were regularly used for search and rescue operations.

In true American style, the crews on board the marine patrol aircraft described the experience of linking up with Scottish and Nato colleagues as “awesome”.

A US Navy tactical officer on the P-8s said: “It’s been refreshing to see how seamlessly the whole exercise has worked. We’ve learned a lot in terms of how to operate in this geographical area and the challenges that brings, and that’s been exciting.”

Some 67 aircraft and 31 warships and submarines took part in the exercise.