Scottish business McLaughlin & Harvey Construction Limited
have been awarded a contract to build a new facility ready for
the arrival of the UK E-7 Wedgetail fleet at RAF Lossiemouth.
The new cutting-edge surveillance fleet will be housed in
infrastructure at the Scottish base sitting alongside the
recently completed Atlantic Building, from which the UK’s fleet
of nine Poseidon MRA Mk1 aircraft already operate.
Creating 125 jobs in the local area, including seven new trainee
positions in engineering and construction, the investment will
boost the local economy and supporting supply chain, reaffirming
the UK Government’s commitment to investing in Scotland. The move
helps deliver on the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the
economy, creating better-paid jobs and opportunity right across
the country.
Subcontracted under a £83 million contract awarded to Boeing
Defence UK (BDUK) by UK Ministry of Defence, the investment will
enable the build of a new training facility and a second unit the
size of an Olympic swimming pool where combined Poseidon and
Wedgetail engineering will be delivered by serving RAF personnel.
Minister for Defence Procurement, KC, said:
This is another significant investment for Defence in Scotland,
creating hundreds of jobs and bolstering the local economy.
Scotland has a proud history as home to some our most critical
defence assets, and this investment will enable the new fleet of
cutting-edge E-7 aircraft to support that vital capability.
As the world’s most advanced, capable and reliable Airborne Early
Warning and Control (AEW&C) platform, the E-7 will provide
intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance
for the RAF.
Air Commodore Alex Hicks, the Wedgetail programme lead
for the RAF, said:
The contract signing for the construction of the UK Wedgetail
operating facility is a significant achievement, and I would like
to thank everyone involved in making it happen. The facility is a
critical enabler for the Wedgetail capability allowing the full
potential of the aircraft to be realised. It will also play a
significant role in providing industrial resilience to the local
community and wider Scotland.
Capable of simultaneously tracking multiple airborne and maritime
targets, the E-7 aircraft uses the information it gathers to
improve situational awareness and direct assets such as fighter
jets and warships. The aircraft has previously been used by the
Royal Australian Air Force on operations against Daesh in Iraq
and Syria.
The arrival of Wedgetail further bolsters the reputation of
Lossiemouth which enjoys a strategic location and
state-of-the-art facilities.
, E-7 Wedgetail Infrastructure
lead at DE&S, said:
We are proud to have facilitated this major milestone that will
allow the co-location of the Wedgetail aircraft with the Poseidon
fleet, drawing together the various supporting functions to drive
efficiencies across the enterprise.
The facilities will be ready for the arrival of the first
aircraft Wedgetail aircraft, marking a return to RAF Lossiemouth
for 8 Squadron, who will operate the aircraft, after an absence
of 30 years.
Steve Burnell, Managing Director of Boeing Defence UK
said:
Boeing is no stranger to delivering projects of this magnitude
and complexity in Scotland, and we’re especially proud to be once
again collaborating with our local supply chain to help create
and sustain new jobs in the region.
