RAF Leuchars gains Eurofighter and loses 80 jobs
RAF Leuchars figures as one the main milestones of our year, with the (usually) annual airshow held there marking the end of year in terms of decent weather and the opportunity to hunt out interesting places in reasonable comfort. The airshow normally takes place at the beginning of September, and we’ve been there in conditions ranging from clear blue skies with sunstroke a possibility, all the way to rain akin to Noah’s flood in temperatures that had our noses so cold we could feel them running. The reference to ‘usually’ remembers that fact that Leuchars is an active airbase, and there was no show last year due to works on the airfield, and show was also cancelled when the RAF was supporting action in the Middle East some years ago. Its aircraft are also liable to be scrambled for intercept at any time, as they provide cover for the UK Quick Reaction Alert, providing a rapid response to any threats to UK airspace. Last year, they flew a number of such missions when various Russian ‘Bears’ (Tupolev bombers) approached the UK over the Atlantic on at least 3 occasions I can recall, from May of 2007 onward. Partly stemming from ‘observing’ military exercises being carried out in the area, and also from the ‘chilling’ of relations between the two nations following the death of a Russian dissident in England.
Leuchars presently hosts two fighter squadrons and one training squadron, operating Tornado F3 fighter jets. These are due to be phased out, and replaced by the more advance Typhoon Eurofighter, with the squadrons merging to provide two fighter units. No redundancies are planned, with staff being offered the opportunity to retrain for the new aircraft, and be redeployed.
Eurofighter Typhoon entered active service at RAF Conigsby in Lincolnshire, marking the start of a £5 billion investment in 144 aircraft by the MoD. A third base, RAF Leeming in North Yorkshire, will also receive this aircraft.
Eurofighter has already been seen at Leuchars in recent years, performing brief flypasts during the course of some of the airshows. I can’t recall if it was Leuchars for sure, but we were treated to sight of a very early development prototype some years ago. This was a specially prepared airframe, with a network of pressure sensors installed over the entire flight surface, and could only take to the air if there was a zero possibility of encountering rain during the flight. Had it rained, the moisture would have destroyed the sensor installation, causing thousand of pounds of damage to the test setup, so we were fortunate to have blessed with a sunny day on that occasion.
