GERMAN planes will operate from a base in Scotland under a defence pact with Berlin being signed on Wednesday.
The submarine-hunting planes will fly from Scotland, patrolling the North Atlantic as the allies respond to the growing threat from Russia.
And German arms giant Rheinmetall is set to open a factory producing artillery gun barrels using British steel.
READ MORE: MoD blocks release of information on River Clyde radioactive pollution
The UK-Germany Trinity House Agreement is the UK Government’s attempts to forge closer relations with European allies, particularly on defence and security measures.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer (below) wants to “reset” relations with the European Union’s key players and the defence deal is the first pillar in a planned wider UK-Germany treaty.
The agreement will see the Nato allies working together on developing long-range strike weapons that can travel further than the UK’s existing Storm Shadow missiles.
And the UK and Germany will also collaborate on developing new land-based and aerial drones.
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.”
READ MORE: Council withdraws key Taymouth planning papers over 'unlawful' concern
Under the agreement, the Ministry of Defence said German P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will “periodically” operate out of RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, potentially armed with UK-supplied torpedoes, helping to secure the North Atlantic.
In response to the potential threat from Russian activity at sea, the allies will also work together to protect underwater cables.
In addition, the agreement will pave the way for the new Rheinmetall plant, which will see the UK make artillery gun barrels for the first time in a decade using steel made by Sheffield Forgemasters and supporting 400 jobs.
The first artillery gun barrels are expected to be produced in 2027.
Other measures will see co-operation to strengthen Nato’s eastern flank and extra support for Ukraine, including work on equipping German Sea King helicopters with modern missile systems for use by Kyiv’s forces.
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.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel