Four RAF Lossiemouth Typhoons leave for Romania on Nato air policing mission
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
FOUR RAF Lossiemouth jets left Scotland yesterday for a deployment in Romania, where they will begin the UK’s pre-planned Nato Air Policing mission on Operation BILOXI.
The jets from IX(B) Squadron flew into Mihail Kogălniceanu airbase on the Black Sea coast near Constanta.
The Nato mission involves allied nations guarding Eastern European airspace from potential threats.
IX (B) Squadron has seen its role changed early this year from an "aggressor" squadron to support the training of other pilots to a fully operational front-line asset.
This is the first time it has deployed since standing up at RAF Lossiemouth in 2019.
It is the seventh operational Typhoon Squadron in the RAF and is able to support both Quick Reaction Alert at home and overseas, as well as global defence taskings such as Operation SHADER.
Station Commander Group Captain Chris Layden said: "The departure of the four IX (B) aircraft was the culmination of a lot of planning, training and preparation by the squadron, the station and the wider RAF that started last year to make this deployment happen.
"This Nato Air Policing mission is a regular responsibility for the Typhoon Force, including those who are based here at RAF Lossiemouth.
"To deploy at the current time creates additional challenges, with all our personnel completing a period of pre-departure quarantine to ensure the mission can be as safe as possible.
"This extends the time they will spend away from their families and loved ones."
