Editing Royal Air Force (section)

===Maritime patrol===
[[File:First RAF Poseidon.jpg|thumb|right|[[Boeing P-8 Poseidon|Poseidon MRA1]]]]
Nine [[Boeing P-8 Poseidon|Boeing Poseidon MRA1]]<ref>{{cite web |first=George |last=Allison |url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/raf-announce-that-the-p-8a-maritime-patrol-aircraft-will-be-poseidon-mra-mk1-in-uk-service/ |title=RAF announce that the P-8A Maritime Patrol Aircraft will be 'Poseidon MRA Mk1' in UK service |website=UK Defence Journal |date=22 August 2018 |access-date=22 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322113648/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/raf-announce-that-the-p-8a-maritime-patrol-aircraft-will-be-poseidon-mra-mk1-in-uk-service/ |archive-date=22 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> were ordered by the [[British government]] in November 2015 in its [[Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015|Strategic Defence and Security Review]] for surveillance, anti-submarine and anti-surface ship warfare, filling a capability gap in maritime patrol that had been left since the cancellation of the [[BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4]] programme in the 2010 SDSR.<ref>{{cite news|title=Defence review: Main developments at a glance|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34897803|access-date=23 November 2015|work=BBC News|date=23 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151124050502/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34897803|archive-date=24 November 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> On 13 July 2017, it was announced that [[No. 120 Squadron RAF|No. 120 Squadron]] and [[No. 201 Squadron RAF|No. 201 Squadron]], both former [[Hawker Siddeley Nimrod|Nimrod MR2]] squadrons, would operate the Poseidon and be based at RAF Lossiemouth.<ref name="Poseidon">{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-secretary-announces-new-maritime-patrol-aircraft-squadrons |title=Defence Secretary announces new Maritime Patrol Aircraft squadrons |publisher=Ministry of Defence |website=mod.uk |date=13 July 2017 |access-date=10 February 2020 |archive-date=13 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713151059/https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defence-secretary-announces-new-maritime-patrol-aircraft-squadrons |url-status=live }}</ref> No. 120 Squadron was stood up on 1 April 2018,<ref name="Poseidon" /> with No. 201 Squadron reforming on 7 August 2021.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-59001533 |title=RAF 201 Squadron reclaims standard from Guernsey |website=BBC News |date=22 October 2021 |access-date=26 October 2021 |archive-date=26 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026154138/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-59001533 |url-status=live }}</ref> No. 54 Squadron was the OCU for the Poseidon fleet between 2020 and 2023.<ref name="P8Lossie">{{cite web |first=Dan |last=Chorley |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-lossiemouth/news/raf-poseidon-mra1-arrives-at-raf-lossiemouth-for-the-first-time |title=RAF Poseidon MRA1 arrives at RAF Lossiemouth for the first time |publisher=Royal Air Force |date=13 October 2020 |access-date=2 February 2021 |archive-date=7 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207101510/https://www.raf.mod.uk/our-organisation/stations/raf-lossiemouth/news/raf-poseidon-mra1-arrives-at-raf-lossiemouth-for-the-first-time |url-status=live }}</ref> [[No. 42 Squadron RAF|No. 42 (Torpedo Bomber) Squadron]] has been the OCU for the Poseidon since September 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://raf.mod.uk/news/articles/number-42-squadron-reforms-at-raf-lossiemouth/ |title=Number 42 Squadron reforms at RAF Lossiemouth |publisher=Royal Air Force |date= 1 November 2023 |access-date=1 November 2023}}</ref>

The first production Poseidon MRA1 ''ZP801'' made its initial flight on 13 July 2019.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/poseidon-the-uks-new-maritime-patrol-aircraft-takes-to-the-skies/ |title=Poseidon, The UK'S New Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Takes to the Skies  |publisher=Royal Air Force |date=13 July 2019 |access-date=14 July 2019 |archive-date=13 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713192507/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/poseidon-the-uks-new-maritime-patrol-aircraft-takes-to-the-skies/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''ZP801'' arrived at [[Kinloss Barracks]], the former home of the Nimrod, on 4 February 2020, filling a decade long gap in maritime capability.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/new-poseidon-maritime-patrol-aircraft-lands-in-uk-for-first-time/ |title=New Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft lands in UK for first time |publisher=Royal Air Force |website=raf.mod.uk |date=4 February 2020 |access-date=10 February 2020 |archive-date=4 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204165359/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/new-poseidon-maritime-patrol-aircraft-lands-in-uk-for-first-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Poseidon was declared combat ready in April 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/raf-declare-poseidon-an-initial-operating-capability/ |title=RAF Declare Poseidon an Initial Operating Capability |publisher=Royal Air Force |date=3 April 2020 |access-date=15 October 2020 |archive-date=2 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102024915/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/raf-declare-poseidon-an-initial-operating-capability/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Poseidon carried out its first operational mission on 3 August 2020, when the Russian warship ''[[Russian patrol boat Vasily Bykov|Vasily Bykov]]'' was tracked.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/first-operation-for-raf-poseidon-tracking-russian-warship/ |title=First Operation for RAF Poseidon tracking Russian Warship |publisher=Royal Air Force |date=7 August 2020 |access-date=2 February 2021 |archive-date=16 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116004229/https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/first-operation-for-raf-poseidon-tracking-russian-warship/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A Poseidon MRA1 arrived at RAF Lossiemouth for the first time in October 2020.<ref name="P8Lossie" /> The ninth, and final Poseidon arrived at RAF Lossiemouth on 11 January 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/final-p-8-poseidon-maritime-patrol-aircraft-arrives-in-scotland/|title=Final P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft arrives in Scotland|first=George|last=Allison|date=11 January 2022|access-date=27 January 2022|archive-date=11 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220111222229/https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/final-p-8-poseidon-maritime-patrol-aircraft-arrives-in-scotland/|url-status=live}}</ref>