McLaughlin & Harvey are continuing to work in collaboration with Boeing and local supply chain partners to deliver E-7 Wedgetail facilities at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

McLaughlin & Harvey is working with Simmers Contracts, a family business situated just 25 miles from the site. The Moray steel contractor is providing 556 tonnes of steel and 7,000 square metres of cladding to support the project, with these framework elements of the build nearing completion at the various project structures. Simmers Contracts currently employs 40 full-time staff members, including fabricators, welders, steel erectors and cladding erectors.

The steel is being used to build the base frame structure of the Wedgetail Line Engineering Squadron building, which will be used for routine maintenance and upgrades to the aircraft and a second building, dedicated to mission systems training.

The mission systems training facility will sit adjacent to the Atlantic Building, a joint £100 million investment by Boeing and the Ministry of Defence and home to the UK's fleet of nine P-8A Poseidon aircrafts. The P-8A Poseidon and E-7 Wedgetail are both military derivatives of Boeing's Next-Generation 737.


Paul Hollywood, Senior Project Manager at McLaughlin & Harvey, said: "We are delighted to be working with Simmers Contracts, a quality Morayshire contractor, to supply and erect the structural steel and roof and wall cladding elements at RAF Lossiemouth. It's important that our supply chain is made up of as many local subcontractors as possible to enable us to support the local economies of the areas that we are working in."

Symon Simmers, Director at Simmers Contracts, said: "Simmers Contracts has previously collaborated successfully with McLaughlin & Harvey on a similar large-scale project and is thrilled to contribute to the construction of facilities that will support the UK's future E-7 Wedgetail fleet.  Having worked extensively at RAF Lossiemouth on numerous projects, as a local contractor employing from the local area, we are ideally positioned to provide the necessary resources and expertise to meet the high standards required."

Steve Burnell, Managing Director of Boeing Defence UK, said: "Boeing leverages the strength of its local supply chain to support the communities where we are proud to live and work. Through our relationship with McLaughlin & Harvey, we are pleased to have Simmers Contracts play a pivotal role in the construction of the new facilities for the UK's E-7 Wedgetail aircraft, as we continue to work with the RAF to prepare the fleet's entry into service."

Lyndon Jones, E-7 Wedgetail Infrastructure Lead at DE&S, said: "The E-7 programme is critical, not only in the development of a capability that will equip our Armed Forces with a competitive edge to protect the nation but also by providing UK prosperity."

The E-7 is the world's most advanced, capable and reliable Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) platform, designed to simultaneously locate and track multiple airborne, maritime and surface targets, using the information it gathers to improve situational awareness and direct assets such as fighter jets and warships. Three 737s are currently undergoing modification by a highly-skilled team of over 100 people at STS Aviation in Birmingham.

The E-7 Wedgetail infrastructure programme is expected to complete in 2025.