P-8 Poseidon MMA: Long-Range Maritime Patrol, and More
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Many people would contend that the P-3 Orion is the greatest maritime patrol aircraft ever flown. These aircraft entered service in 1959 and will continue to serve past 2011. Modifications to their equipment have sharpened their capabilities, and even given them a land-attack and surveillance role. In service with 15 countries, the Orion is a great success – but it’s a very old success, and a replacement is needed.
The P-8A has emerged from the P-7 LRAACA program that was begun in 1988. That program originally envisaged an improved P-3G design, but program cost overruns and interest in opening the competition to commercial designs led to cancellation in 1990. The successor MMA program was begun in March 2000, and Boeing beat Lockheed’s “Orion 21” for the contract with a design based on the ubiquitous 737 passenger jet.
Filling the P-3 Orion’s shoes will be no easy task. What missions will the new P-8A Poseidon face? What do we know about the platform, the project team, and ongoing developments? Will the P-3’s level of global customer coverage give its successor a comparable level of export opportunities? Australia has already signed on, but has the larger market shifted in the interim?
This is DID’s FOCUS Article concerning the P-8A Poseidon Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft, and it will be updated as events and contracts are announced. In the latest news, India may be about to join the program…
- The Controversy: Turboprop, or Turbofan Jet?
- P-8A Poseidon: Platform & Capabilities
- The P-8’s BAMS Companion: Kicking It Up a Notch
- P-8A Poseidon: Program & History
- P-8A Poseidon: Contracts & Events [updated]
- News & Analysis: India’s Interest, and Broader Export Potential
- Additional Readings & Sources: Platforms & Program Background
- Additional Readings & Sources: News & Updates
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