P-8 Poseidon MMA: Long-Range Maritime Patrol, and More
Jan 12, 2012 12:00 EST
(click to view full)
Minor spares & trainers contract. (Jan 12/11)
Maritime surveillance and patrol is becoming more and more important, but the USA’s P-3 Orion fleet is falling apart. The P-8A emerged from the ashes of the P-7 Long Range Air ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) Capable Aircraft program that was begun in 1988. That program originally envisaged an improved P-3, but cost overruns, slow progress, and interest in opening the competition to commercial designs, led to the P-7’s cancellation for default in 1990. The successor MMA program was begun in March 2000, and Boeing beat Lockheed’s “Orion 21” with a design based on their ubiquitous 737 passenger jet.
Filling the P-3 Orion’s shoes is certainly 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 and India have already signed on, but has the larger market shifted in the interim?
- The Controversy: Turboprop, or Turbofan Jet?
- P-8A Poseidon: Platform & Capabilities [updated]
- P-8A Poseidon: History & Program
- P-8A Poseidon: Contracts & Events [updated]
- News & Analysis: India’s Interest, and Broader Export Potential
- Additional Readings & Sources
- Additional Readings & Sources: News & Updates
Stay in step with the P-8 Poseidon program, and have all DII materials instantly available by becoming a subscriber. This article brings into focus the complex implementation of the Navy's new patrol aircraft, including:
- Background on this third-round maritime patrol aircraft and its gamut of responsibilities including search and destroy, sea and land surveillance, missile attacks to land or sea, flexible response to emerging military doctrines
- 12 photos, including aircraft design cutaways, weapons and surveillance systems
- Recap of the head-to-head contract battle between Boeing and Lockheed
- Insider quotes: "MMA will have to be flown high, low, fast and slow and remain on-station for very long periods of time while carrying a variety of weapon and sensor packages."
- News on key corporate players including Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, CFM International, Northrop-Grumman Electronic Systems, Raytheon, Smiths Aerospace, Spirit Aerosystems, and United Technologies
- Participation by foreign buyers, including Australia and possibly India, Canada, et. al.
- The changes that have split the maritime patrol aircraft market around the globe.
DII readers have access to the extensive archive of Defense Industry Daily reports and our other DII feature articles. Plans start at $45/month. Subscribe now for these timesaving links, and much more.
