RAF Lossiemouth: Typhoons Return After Runway Improvements

Typhoon fighter jets have begun returning to RAF Lossiemouth after works to the base's runways. 

The Typhoons, which help defend the UK's northern skies, were moved to Leuchars Station, Fife, Scotland, in August to allow for some of the resurfacing work to go ahead.

RAF Lossiemouth in Moray has been undergoing an upgrade worth more than £400m in total ahead of the arrival of the P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol aircraft. 

The revamp of the runways is part of a £75m contract with contractor VolkerFitzpatrick. 

The RAF said the resurfacing works are "one of many improvements being made" that are "future-proofing" the base.

Wing Commander Pete Beckett, Director of the Lossiemouth Development Programme, said: "The partial completion of the new runway surfaces marks a major milestone in upgrades to RAF Lossiemouth’s infrastructure, with the project expected to be complete mid-2021."

The runways are being stripped, resurfaced and strengthened to accommodate the Air Force's new fleet of P-8A Poseidons which RAF Lossiemouth's official Twitter account suggested will arrive tomorrow.

Facilities for the Typhoons are also being upgraded as part of the wider revamp, with £20m being spent on the refurbishment of a hangar and the construction of new technical and storage facilities.  

Four Typhoon squadrons are based at RAF Lossiemouth.

The base is also home to IX (Bomber) Squadron and an RAF regiment squadron.

WATCH: The Typhoons land back at RAF Lossiemouth.

The P-8A Poseidon aircraft have been flying from Kinloss Barracks whilst RAF Lossiemouth has been undergoing its revamp.

In July, a new £100m "state-of-the-art" facility at RAF Lossiemouth for the P-8A Poseidons was handed over to the Ministry of Defence.

The facility took two years to build and can hold up to three of the RAF's eventual nine P-8A Poseidon aircraft.

The nine aircraft will cost the UK £3 billion in total and are expected to be in the UK by the end of 2021.

Cover image: A Typhoon returns to RAF Lossiemouth (Picture: RAF).