UK MoD completes project to redevelop and upgrade RAF Lossiemouth

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 16 July 2024 that it has completed the GBP 350 million (EUR 417 million) project to upgrade Royal Air Force (RAF) Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland.

The Lossiemouth Development Programme (LDP), which took six years, was required to prepare RAF Lossiemouth for the arrival of an additional squadron of Typhoon fighters, the RAF’s new fleet of nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and a US Navy detachment. New and upgraded facilities were needed for the extra aircraft and the approximately 750 additional personnel who operate them.

The programme also modernised and upgraded aspects of the station’s infrastructure, such as the drainage system.

RAF Lossiemouth is the RAF’s only main operating base (MOB) in Scotland and has served as the northern base for the nation’s Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) mission since 2014. The station’s Typhoon crews are on 24/7 alert to rapidly respond to potential threats in the northern portion of UK airspace.

The programme resulted in a newly resurfaced runway, completed in 2021, as well as work to allow Kinloss Station to be home to the station’s aircraft while the Lossiemouth runway work was completed. After the works, Kinloss airfield was permanently closed and the entire site handed back to the British Army. A new facility for Lossiemouth’s firefighters was completed, allowing them to respond within two minutes to an incident anywhere on the airfield. An existing hangar was also refurbished and new working space constructed for the Typhoons and personnel of IX(B) Squadron.

Recently, seven new Single Living Accommodation (SLA) blocks were handed over to accommodate the increase in personnel. Significant drainage and electrical upgrades took place across much of the site, including installation of a number of electric vehicle charging points. Finally, an accommodation block and a large enclosed wash facility for US P-8A Poseidon aircraft were completed for the US Navy (USN).

The LDP facilities were delivered through the MoD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), which contracted TetraTech to act as technical support provider to the programme, delivering project management and technical advice. Contractors varied depending on the project, with Balfour Beatty undertaking the works at Kinloss airfield, VolkerFitzpatrick performing the Lossiemouth Operating Surface project, Henry Brothers the US facilities and crash, fire and rescue building, Lagan Aviation and Infrastructure the drainage upgrade, FES the electrical system upgrades and Robertson Construction North the SLA blocks.

David Brewer, chief operating officer of the DIO, was quoted as saying in a UK DIO press release, “This is the conclusion of years of hard work and collaboration between DIO, the RAF, TetraTech and our various contractors and subcontractors. The end result is that RAF Lossiemouth’s additional Typhoon squadron, the new airframe in the Poseidon, and our allies in the United States Navy, are all operating from fantastic new or upgraded infrastructure.”

“The completion of LDP is a huge milestone in the ongoing development of the RAF’s only MOB in Scotland,” added LDP lead Group Captain Pete Beckett. “While we have successfully completed a number of technical upgrades, the main focus has been trying to make the base a better place to both live and work, and to attract more people to this fantastic part of the country. The SLA and associated campus area is a perfect example of this, moving away from the purely functional approach towards the provision of accommodation to a more welcoming and relaxing place to live. There is no doubt we have made RAF Lossiemouth a better place for our people under LDP, and hopefully there is still more to come.”

Group Captain Jim Lee, the station commander at RAF Lossiemouth, stated, “The delivery of LDP has transformed RAF Lossiemouth into the operationally focused, vibrant station that we see today. With brand new accommodation and upgraded facilities across the estate, we are now ready to secure our skies and seas for decades to come.”

The presence of the USN, with its own maritime patrol aircraft, provides a boost to the defence of the UK and Europe, the UK DIO noted. The new US facilities were funded by the USN and DIO, with the RAF working closely with them to ensure the plans fitted their needs.

Although the LDP is now complete, there is additional investment planned to further improve and future-proof the station. This includes additional SLA, a new air traffic control tower and a solar array to contribute to the station’s power needs.