WHILE CERTAINLY NOT to everyone’s taste hundreds of aircraft enthusiasts are in no doubt that the current increase level of air activity over Moray is a bonus of living around the local air base.
All last week aircraft of all shapes and sizes were being logged enthusiastically as they arrived at RAF Lossiemouth – although the increased noise level they bring was noted with dismay by some residents.
The twice-yearly Joint Warrior exercise has arrived in town once again – and the might of over a dozen nations will be seen around Moray over the next ten days.
In terms of size the current exercise appears to have surpassed many of these events, with over 3400 NATO troops taking part – including 22 ships, four submarines and over 40 aircraft, most of which will be seen at Lossiemouth.
While the presence of so much military might is a delight for air enthusiasts who have travelled from all over armed with their air band radios and high performance cameras, finding accommodation in the local area has not been so easy.
Almost all the overseas airmen and their attending crews taking up local hotel space – and with that providing an economic boost for Moray.
For those who live locally the added noise around the base is perhaps a small price to pay when balanced with the economic benefits for the region – and the knowledge that Joint Warrior is a vital element in keeping the peace around the world.
“Joint Warrior remains a unique opportunity for the UK, Nato and partner nations’ forces to train alongside each other and test their capabilities in an operationally realistic and challenging environment,” Captain Andrew Stacey, who is responsible for exercise planning, said.
He added: “The complexity of the exercise, which is always evolving, supports maritime, land and air training at large scale and delivers intense scenarios that drive our combined war-fighting capabilities.”