Fighter jets from Moray have joined allies from across the world in a large-scale military exercise over the North Sea today.
Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth are performing the role of the “enemy” in the operation that involves simulated aerial battles.
The north-east pilots have been testing the skills of F-35 jets from the UK, the Netherlands and America’s marine corps and air force ahead of their deployment to the HMS Queen Elizabeth II aircraft carrier.
Group Captain Chris Layden, station commander of RAF Lossiemouth, said: “Our Typhoons have played a different role in this iteration of Exercise Point Blank.
“They acted as the aggressors against the fifth-generation F-35s from the RAF, US Marine Corps and Royal Netherlands Air Force.
“They simulated the tactics and threats of our adversaries while challenging their colleagues in a series of complex air-to-air battles that tested the skills of pilots involved and pushed these world class aircraft to their limits.”
Exercise Point Blank is a regular quarterly exercise in the UK involved the RAF and the US Air Force.
The drill was the first to be done by the American squadron following their arrival at RAF Marham in Norfolk and a period of isolation to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Armed forces minister James Heappey said: “Flying alongside three fellow Nato nations over and around the UK in a complex war fighting scenario involving more than 50 aircraft is exactly the sort of training that keeps our RAF sharp.”
