The first of the two biannual Maritime exercises Joint Warrior took place during April of 2011. The base from which the majority of the flying took place was RAF Kinloss. With the airfields future uncertain at the time of this exercise, it was to transpire that JW11-1 would be the penultimate exercise to be hosted by Kinloss before it ceased to exist as a RAF station.

Although the flying assets were reduced in numbers this exercise like its predecessors was primarily a Maritime exercise however it did engaging more ground movements with troops from NATO involved in landings at locations around the Scottish coastline.

With the withdrawal of the RAF’s Nimrod MR2’s from active flying there was to be no RAF maritime patrol aircraft involvement. This diminished the line up of MPA operating the line up of aircraft operating and reduced the numbers as seen in previous JW exercises. The RAF was represented in a number of other ways with surveillance aircraft from Waddington, tanker support aircraft from Brize Norton ground attack aircraft from Lossiemouth and rotary from Joint Helicopter Command.