Australian P-8A makes maiden flight
The first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon aircraft has successfully completed its maiden flight, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 25 May.
The aircraft flew from Renton Airfield, Washington, to Boeing Field where will be fitted with mission systems as part of Australia's project AIR 7000.
The P-8A will replace the RAAF's in-service AP-3C Orion fleet. Its primary roles will include detection and response of submarine and surface threats, search and rescue support and surveillance and reconnaissance.
A RAAF crew will fly the P-8A from the US to Australia in late 2016 after post-production tests and acceptance.
The aircraft has a length of 39.5m, maximum take-off weight of 85.82 tonnes, wingspan of 37.6m, maximum range of 7,500km and top speed of 907kmph.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US Navy tests Aegis combat system for hypersonic missile defence]()
US Navy tests Aegis combat system for hypersonic missile defence
The Arleigh Burke destroyer USS Pinckney undertook the tests against a simulated SM-6 missile.
-
![Royal Navy destroyer completes UAV live-fire exercise before heading to the Indo-Pacific]()
Royal Navy destroyer completes UAV live-fire exercise before heading to the Indo-Pacific
HMS Dauntless ran a full UAV test to mimic potential real-world threats.
-
![Havelsan sells ADVENT CMS into Chilean Navy frigates]()
Havelsan sells ADVENT CMS into Chilean Navy frigates
The system is intended to add enhanced operational precision to two ageing vessels.
