Germany spy planes to hunt Russian submarines from RAF base in Scotland

23 October 2024, 05:16

German spy planes will track Russian submarines from an RAF base in Scotland, under a new agreement to be signed on Wednesday.

The deal will also see German weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall set up a factory in the UK to make artillery gun barrels using British steel.

The UK and Germany will also collaborate on producing long-range missiles that can travel further than the current Storm Shadow strike weapons. The countries will also develop new drones together.

The so-called Trinity House Agreement is a sign of attempts by Keir Starmer's government to forge closer links with European allies, particularly on security.

The deal is expected to be the first part of a wider UK-Germany treaty.

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Defence Secretary John Healey said: "The Trinity House Agreement is a milestone moment in our relationship with Germany, and a major strengthening of Europe's security.

"It secures unprecedented levels of new co-operation with the German armed forces and industry, bringing benefits to our shared security and prosperity, protecting our shared values and boosting our defence industrial bases.

"This landmark agreement delivers on the Government's manifesto commitment to strike a new defence relationship with Germany - less than four months since winning the election in July - and we will build on this new co-operation in the months and years ahead.

"I pay tribute to our negotiating teams who have worked hard at pace to deliver this."

Under the agreement, the Ministry of Defence said German P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will "periodically" operate out of RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, potentially armed with UK-supplied torpedoes, helping to secure the North Atlantic.

In response to the potential threat from Russian activity at sea, the allies will also work together to protect underwater cables.

In addition, the agreement will pave the way for the new Rheinmetall plant, which will see the UK make artillery gun barrels for the first time in a decade using steel made by Sheffield Forgemasters and supporting 400 jobs.

The first artillery gun barrels are expected to be produced in 2027.

Other measures will see co-operation to strengthen Nato's eastern flank and extra support for Ukraine, including work on equipping German Sea King helicopters with modern missile systems for use by Kyiv's forces.

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German defence minister Boris Pistorius said: "We must not take security in Europe for granted. Russia is waging war against Ukraine, it is increasing its weapons production immensely and has repeatedly launched hybrid attacks on our partners in eastern Europe.

"With the Trinity House Agreement, we are showing that the Nato allies have recognised what these times require and are determined to improve their deterrence and defence capabilities.

"As it lays the foundation for future projects, the Trinity House Agreement is an important contribution to this.

"It is particularly important to me that we co-operate even more closely to strengthen Nato's eastern flank and to close critical capability gaps, for instance in the field of long-range strike weapons."