German submarine hunting planes will operate from Scotland to patrol the North Atlantic

Under a new defence pact German submarine hunting planes will now operate from Scotland and patrol the North Atlantic amid the growing threat coming from Russia.

The new defence pact was signed on Wednesday in Berlin and the German arms giant Rheinmetall will open a factory in the UK using British steel to produce artillery gun barrels, production is expected to start in 2027.

The British government will forge closer relations with European allies and the UK-German Trinity House Agreement is the start of this process.

Germany will have the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft that will periodically operate out of RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland and they could also be armed with British torpedoes.

Defence Secretary John Healey said, “The Trinity House Agreement is a milestone moment in our relationship with Germany, and a major strengthening of Europe’s security.

“It secures unprecedented levels of new co-operation with the German armed forces and industry, bringing benefits to our shared security and prosperity, protecting our shared values and boosting our defence industrial bases.

“This landmark agreement delivers on the Government’s manifesto commitment to strike a new defence relationship with Germany – less than four months since winning the election in July – and we will build on this new co-operation in the months and years ahead.

“I pay tribute to our negotiating teams who have worked hard at pace to deliver this.”

German defence minister Boris Pistorius said, “We must not take security in Europe for granted. Russia is waging war against Ukraine, it is increasing its weapons production immensely and has repeatedly launched hybrid attacks on our partners in eastern Europe.

“With the Trinity House Agreement, we are showing that the Nato allies have recognised what these times require and are determined to improve their deterrence and defence capabilities.

“As it lays the foundation for future projects, the Trinity House Agreement is an important contribution to this.

“It is particularly important to me that we co-operate even more closely to strengthen Nato’s eastern flank and to close critical capability gaps, for instance in the field of long-range strike weapons.”