The first of a fleet of nine P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft is due to land at the Kinloss Barracks in Moray at lunchtime.
The aircraft will replace Nimrods as part of a UK Government defence review.
The plane will touch down on UK soil for the first time after extensive crew training at Jacksonville in the US.
While Kinloss is the spiritual home of maritime reconnaissance, the new fleet will switch later this year on completion of an upgrade at nearby RAF Lossiemouth.
The first of the submarine hunter planes procured by the RAF has been named The Pride of Moray.
The UK has invested £3bn in the fleet of maritime patrol aircraft including £132m in the strategic facility which will be used to house and maintain the aircraft and personnel operating it.
It also includes £75m in resurfacing the runways and operating surfaces at RAF Lossiemouth, which began last month.
Poseidon is a world class aircraft equipped with sensors enabling it to detect, identify and track vessels above and below the waves.
The RAF’s fleet will work alongside the Royal Navy to protect the UK’s continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent and alongside our allies in NATO missions across the North Atlantic.
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