First Australian P-8A Poseidon accepted
Boeing has rolled-out the first Australian P-8A Poseidon aircraft in Seattle, Washington, US, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) announced on 28 September.
The aircraft, the first of twelve on order with Boeing, has been accepted into service by the chief of the RAAF.
The P-8A Poseidon is based on designs of Boeing’s 737-800 fuselage, with modifications to include a weapons bay, under-wing and under-fuselage hard points for weapons, and increased strength to enable continued high angle of bank turns and low level operations.
GPCAPT Roger McCutcheon, director maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and response transition office, said: ‘Over the next three years, the P-8A will replace our current fleet of AP-3C Orion aircraft currently based at RAAF Base Edinburgh.
‘The first aircraft will arrive in Australia on 15 November 2016, with the remaining 11 aircraft to be delivered by March 2020.’
Since early 2015, RAAF aircrew and maintenance personnel have been training for the arrival of the P-8A, working alongside the US Navy at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Kongsberg awarded $960 million missile contract]()
Kongsberg awarded $960 million missile contract
The contract could rise to as much as US$1.1 billion and follows an announcement last month that Kongsberg was building a missile production facility in the US to meet burgeoning global demand.
-
![New US Navy batteries are deemed submarine-safe]()
New US Navy batteries are deemed submarine-safe
The use of Passive Propagation Technology significantly reduces the risk of Lithium-ion batteries for use in torpedo tube launched AUVs.
-
![BAE Systems’ Herne XLAUV set to hunt for underwater intelligence]()
BAE Systems’ Herne XLAUV set to hunt for underwater intelligence
The Herne is modular, highly configurable underwater autonomous platform, with potential for both ISR missions in the short term and self-determined assistance surveillance later.
