Air Officer Scotland

Details

Air Commodore Mark Northover was educated at Bolton School and joined the Royal Air Force as a University Cadet in 1984, whilst studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Liverpool. His Service career initially took him to RAF St Athan in South Wales, where he was a flight commander on the Aircraft Component Repair Flight. He then worked as a Junior Engineering Officer on Harrier GR7 aircraft based in Germany. 

Northover subsequently joined the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, as Officer Commanding 1st Line Engineering Flight; during this appointment, he deployed extensively to South Africa, the Far East and Australasia in support of UK export campaigns and he was awarded the MBE in 1997. Following several staff appointments, Northover returned to the Red Arrows in 2000 to become the Senior Engineering Officer. 

After promotion to Wing Commander, he completed language training and advanced command and staff course at the German Armed Forces Staff College in Hamburg. Following an appointment in the Typhoon Integrated Project Team, Northover became Officer Commanding Engineering and Logistics Wing at RAF Leuchars, Scotland.  This was during the transition from operating the Tornado F3 to the Typhoon FGR4, with the station’s primary task being to deliver Quick Reaction Alert to protect the UK’s northern airspace.

Northover was subsequently appointed, on promotion to Group Captain, to the MOD Saudi Armed Forces Project (MODSAP) based in Riyadh, followed by a tour at HQ Air Command, RAF High Wycombe, as the Chief Air Engineer for the RAF’s Combat Air fleets. This was followed by a posting to MOD Main Building, Whitehall, where he led the UK’s Typhoon Export campaigns working with the Belgian, Canadian and Finnish governments.  Upon promotion to Air Commodore, Northover returned to MODSAP as Head of Programmes in 2020, once again based in Riyadh, with responsibilities for delivering the government-to-government contracts between the UK and Saudi Arabia; these included Typhoon, Tornado and training aircraft programmes.

Northover took up his current role as Air Officer Scotland in March 2025. He is President of the Red Arrows Association, a keen golfer, enjoys winter sports and is currently learning to play the piano.  

He has a son and a daughter (both grown-up) and is married to Kathleen who is the CEO of a Fund Administration and Corporate Services business in Edinburgh.