Boeing's Spy Planes for UK's Nuclear Submarine Defense

During a trip to the United States military base in Jacksonville the Defense Secretary of Britain, Michael Fallon, announced the United Kingdom’s plan to purchase of one of Boeing’s new P-8 Poseidon surveillance planes. This is the initial step in a purchasing deal for eight more of spy jets by the manufacturer Boeing, which will commence this summer. The transaction is an attempt to keep Britain’s fleet of nuclear submarines safe against Russian Submarine menace, which is said to keep surveillance of UK’s Royal Navy submarine base in Faslane. This investment would also qualify Britain to meet the NATA 2pc commitment, as the UK will continue to increases defense expenditure each year of this decade.

Although Fallon only recently announced the plan, the decision to order the spy jets had already been revealed in November of last year as part of the United Kingdom’s National Security Strategy and Strategic Defense and Security Review. Early after this notice, Britain was criticized for the process taken in selecting the jet to purchase. The UK did not meet with other aerospace manufacturers, which limited the UK’s knowledge of what other products were offered that could have suited their strategy better. Even so, others praised the state for their commitment to UK’s protection. Boeing intends on outsourcing a small portion of the building process to companies in the UK. This ensures a small boost to the UK’s economy.