/reeve.gif)
Well, apart from job losses no more "RAF Leuchars Open Days"...
RAF Lossiemouth to be saved at expense of Leuchars
The RAF base at Lossiemouth has been saved following a Ministry of Defence about-turn but survives at the expense of RAF Leuchars being closed, defence sources have disclosed.
By Thomas Harding and Simon Johnson 6:00AM GMT 14 Dec 2010
After a significant public campaign to keep the Moray base open, the MoD has decided to rebase its Eurofighter Typoon fighters in Lossiemouth which will become Scotland’s sole RAF airfield.
The move will come as a blow to the air force and civilian personnel at Leuchars which was thought to have been safe from the axe as Typhoons had already deployed there.
But growing opposition to Lossiemouth’s closure, with pressure coming from Scottish politicians and celebrities, led the MoD to reconsider its position, defence officials told The Daily Telegraph.
The announcement will be made imminently that will see Lossiemouth’s future secured,” an Air Force source said.
“The base has fought a ferocious public campaign and it also makes sense as it has better facilities for the Typhoon than Leuchars.”
Lossiemouth will become home to two squadrons of about 36 Typhoons and a squadron of 20 Tornado GR4.
The Quick Reaction Alert jets, launched to deal with intruders into UK air space, will be moved to the base from Leuchars.
Another factor in the Lossiemouth’s favour was that its Tornado facilities would have been very expensive to move.
The decision was also prompted by economic concerns as the removal of the new Nimrod MR4 fleet means near RAF Kinloss will close with the loss of 2,300 jobs worth £68 million to the local economy.
The nearby base at Lossiemouth supports a further 3,370 jobs and contributes £90 million annually.
Ministers feared that closing both would cause mass unemployment in the area.
The actor Ewan McGregor, whose brother Colin was a Tornado pilot at Lossiemouth, said that closing both bases would be "devastating" to the close-knit Moray community with "effects that would be far-reaching".
His words came as thousands of people and political leaders, including Alex Salmond, the First Minister, marched in support of RAF Lossiemouth last month.
Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary also discussed the base’s future with Angus Robertson, the Scottish Nationalist leader in Westminster, who represents Moray.
A campaign fund was set up in Scotland and Alex Salmond, Scotland's First Minister, and Michael Moore, the Scottish Secretary, have both made representations to the MoD about Lossiemouth’s future.
They argued that the Scottish economy could not bear the loss of the base.
Speaking at defence questions in the Commons, Mr Robertson said:
“Moray is the most defence dependent economy in the UK and a double base closure would result in unparalleled economic and social dislocation.
“The closure of Kinloss is bad enough, but the impact of closing Lossiemouth as well would be unthinkable.
UK Ministers must act swiftly to announce concrete support for Moray.”
Dr Fox said the final decision would rest on the “military implications and what is best for the country as a whole” but dropped no hints as to what that would be.
However, RAF Leuchars, which has 1,400 RAF personnel, will be closed despite “last minute pleas” from Gordon Brown, the former Prime Minister,
and Sir Menzies Campbell, the former Liberal Democrat leader and local MP.
There has been speculation it could be turned into an international airport to replace or work alongside the commercial one at Dundee as part of a review of the UK’s military airbases.
However, unlike Dundee, the base has a long and recently upgraded runway that can accommodate larger passenger jets, including flights from America.
easyJet has previously looked at using Leuchars and golf tourism flights already land there.
The decision also means that RAF Marham in Norfolk will remain open because it has the only RAF Tornado servicing facility.
An MOD spokesman said: “The Strategic Defence and Security Review means that RAF Kinloss and two other bases will not be required by the RAF.
No decisions have been made on which bases, or any future use.”