A US Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon aircraft, used for anti-submarine warfare, declared a mid-air emergency over Scotland this morning. The plane issued a 7700 squawk code — the universal transponder code for a general in-flight emergency — shortly after departing RAF Lossiemouth in Moray.
Flight path and U-turn
The aircraft departed the base shortly after 7am and was tracked flying south over Central Scotland before making a U-turn and heading back towards Lossiemouth.
The nature of the emergency has not yet been disclosed.
Aircraft role and base
The P-8 Poseidon is used extensively by the US Navy, the UK Royal Air Force (operating as the Poseidon MRA1), and allied nations for long-range maritime patrol, intelligence, surveillance, and anti-submarine warfare.
RAF Lossiemouth serves as the primary home base for the UK's Poseidon fleet and frequently hosts integrated US Navy P-8A operations and support facilities covering the North Atlantic.
The Mirror has contacted the US Navy and the Ministry of Defence for comment.
