British and German military aircrafts join forces to hunt down Russian submarines
Britain and Germany will join forces to hunt Russian submarines.
Royal Air Force (RAF) and Deutsche Marine aircraft will operate side by side from RAF Lossiemouth, jointly conducting defensive patrols for Russian submarines and defending NATO’s Eastern and Northern flanks.
British and German forces will also increase their cyber and military cooperation in order to strengthen NATO’s security.
Defense Secretary John Healey and his German counterpart Boris Pistorius will take part in an operational flight in one of the RAF Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol aircraft at RAF Lossiemouth on Thursday.
The P-8A can detect, identify, track and defend against enemy ships and submarines.
The flight will mark one year since the signing of the Trinity House Defense Agreement.
The new fifth Trinity House Lighthouse project will enable the UK’s new Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) and the German Cyber and Information Domain Service to work more closely than before, allowing them to securely share data, intelligence and operational tools with each other and NATO allies.
This includes the development of a secure cloud network, a digital system that allows real-time information sharing while defending against cyber attacks.
Britain and Germany are also working harder to protect NATO’s logistics and transport networks from cyber attacks.
In the coming months, one of Deutsche Marine’s (German navy) P-8As will visit Lossiemouth for the first time ahead of future joint activities alongside the RAF in the North Atlantic to help defend against Russia.
Since the Trinity House Agreement came into force last year, German companies have pledged to invest £800 million in the UK defense industry, creating 600 jobs across the UK.
This includes the new Rheinmetall factory in Telford; In this factory, the UK will produce artillery gun barrels using British steel produced by Sheffield Forgemasters for the first time in a decade, creating hundreds of jobs.
Three more German defense companies, including Helsing, ARX Robotics and Stark, have announced plans to invest in the UK defense industry.
The three companies will produce sea glider drones, backed by a £350 million investment in artificial intelligence (AI), as well as unmanned drones, backed by a £45 million investment and 190 new jobs.
Mr Healey said: “A year on from the Trinity House Agreement, the UK and Germany are working closer than ever to keep our two countries and Europe safe.
“Together we strengthen NATO, strengthen our cyber defenses and ensure our armed forces can operate side by side with ease, from patrolling the skies over Scotland to hunting Russian submarines in the North Atlantic.
“This partnership is the cornerstone of Europe’s security, demonstrating unity and strength to our enemies and keeping us safe at home and strong abroad.”
