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 MARITIME PATROL

© Boeing Defence

OCEAN HUNTERS

taking delivery of its first aircraft in December 2022. The aircraft
Long range maritime delivered was the first of four ordered by New Zealand and the 155th

surveillance platforms P-8 aircraft delivered by Boeing. Korea and Germany are to start
taking deliveries of their P-8s in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
are in favour again
Boeing delivered the 150th multi-mission P-8 in July 2022 to the U.S.
Navy’s air test and evaluation squadron (VX) One based at Naval
- By Atul Chandra Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. The P-8 has two variants: The
P-8I, flown by the Indian Navy (IN), and the P-8A Poseidon flown
here is a resurgence in demand for mar- by the U.S. Navy, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal
itime patrol aircraft (MPA) with many Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNAF) and
T modern navies now showing a prefer- Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).
ence for dedicated long-range MPAs which
can conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW); The global P-8 fleet has now amassed over half a million, mis-
anti-surface warfare (ASuW); intelligence, sur- hap-free flight hours. The U.S. Navy is the largest operator of the
veillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and search type with approximately 115 P-8As delivered, followed by the RAN
and rescue (SAR) missions. Boeing’s P-8A and IN with 12 each, nine with the RAF and five to the RNAF and one
‘Poseidon’ has emerged as a popular MPA with with the RNZAF.
orders from eight nations - the USA, India, UK,
Australia, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea The P-8 can fly up to 41,000 ft and with its speed of 490 knots,
and Germany, with 155 aircraft now in service.
achieves shorter transit times and also reduces the size of the Area
of Probability when searching for submarines, surface vessels or
In January, France announced that it had begun search and rescue survivors.
studies for a future maritime patrol system that
would be based on either the A320neo or the The P-8 also offers cost advantages due to its 86 per cent common-
Falcon 10X business jet. These aircraft would
replace the French Navy’s fleet of Dassault ality with Boeing’s commercial 737NG jetliners. The P-8 is engineered
Atlantique ATL2 MPAs post 2030. The Japan for 25 years/25,000 hours in the harshest maritime flight regimes,
Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) operates including extended operations in icing environments. According to
the indigenously developed Kawasaki Heavy company officials, Boeing’s expertise in commercial fleet manage-
Industries P-1 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and ment and derivative aircraft sustainment provides customers with
is slated to purchase three more aircraft this greater availability at a lower operational cost.
year.
As a military derivative of the Boeing 737 Next-Generation, assembly
of the P-8I actually begins in a Boeing Commercial Airplanes factory
Dominant MPA before moving to Boeing’s defence facilities where it receives its
The RNZAF is the newest operator of the P-8, multi-mission military systems.
ASIAN DEFENCE TECHNOLOGY MARCH 2023 | 35