Poseidon adventure for Moray airbase

MoD: £400m Lossiemouth revamp for new fleet will boost local economy

A £400million expansion of RAFLossiemouth will be a massive shot in the arm for the Moray economy.

The Ministry of Defence are investing the money to prepare the base for new fleets of aircraft that will be based there.

And with an extra 500 personnel moving to the region by 2020, the expansion of the base is expected to bring an economicboom for the region.

New hangars, engineer- ing workshops and a mission planning facility for submarine-hunting P-8 Poseidon planes will be built at the base. Work could begin as early as August.

Sir Michael Fallon unveiled a £1.7billion funding package for Scotland’s mil- itary facilities on a visit to Edinburgh yesterday.

Further funding for a revampof Kinloss Barracks is also expected as part of a restructuring of the Army.

Last night, Moray MP Angus Robertson said the investment vindicated the fight to save RAF Lossiemouth.

He said: “I welcome the ongoing investment at Lossiemouth.

“With new infrastructure being built it means important work in the area

“The increasing military and civilian jobs are very important to Moray”

that, in turn, supports the wider Moray economy.

“In addition, the increasing military and civilian jobs on the base are very important to Moray and will help to sustain many local businesses.”

Houses, an air traffic control centre and fire station are all included in plans being drawn up for the base.

Runways will also be expanded to accommodate Boeing P-8 aircraft. The base will also house a training centre for the aircraft.

Poseidons already visit the base, but the spy planes will take up residence on the Moray coast in April 2020. A new squadron of Typhoons will also touch down in 2019.

Yesterday’s news came after it was revealed eight Scottish military sites, including Fort George near Inverness, would shut.

The defence secretary also confirmed a £1.3billion investment into the Navy base at Faslane ahead of Dreadnought submarines arriving in Scotland in the 2030s.

The former RAF base in Leuchars, which was shut when Lossiemouth was saved, will become the main base for the Army in Scotland.

Sir Michael added: “Scotland is on the front line of defending theUnited Kingdom from growing threats at sea, in the air, and on land.”

NEW FLEET: Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft will be based at Lossiemouth and, below, Defence Secretary Mike Fallon unveils the investment

American P-8 Poseidon aircraft at Lossiemouth