Third and fourth RAF Poseidon MRA Mk1 aircraft enter final stages of production

The third and fourth Poseidon MRA Mk1 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) destined for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) are in the final stages of production, the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation announced on 21 August.

Poseidon MRA Mk1 number YP173 in the final stages of production at Boeing’s Renton factory in Seattle. (Crown Copyright)

In a video it tweeted and also placed on its LinkedIn page, DE&S showed aircraft numbers YP173 and YP174 at Boeing’s Renton factory in Seattle, Washington. It tweeted that engineers were fitting mission-specific systems onto the two aircraft before they are completed and handed over to the RAF. The video shows the two Poseidon MRA Mk1s inside the factory alongside relevant mission modules and equipment.

The third Poseidon MRA is scheduled to fly into Kinloss Barracks by the end of October. The fourth aircraft is anticipated to fly into RAF Lossiemouth via Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, before the end of the year after completion of runway repairs at Lossiemouth.