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were insufficient. Boeing’s backlog be delivered by the first quarter of In April last year, DGA took delivery
for P-8 is 20 planes, with 183 on 2025. of the eleventh ATL2 MPA upgraded
contract and 163 delivered. to standard 6. Eighteen of the
Hanging by a Thread country’s 22 current ATL2 aircraft
The P-8A, which had its maiden are being upgraded to a Standard 6
flight in 2009, has the highest Germany’s decision to acquire the configuration. The exercise, which
maximum take-off weight of any P-8A has cast a shadow of doubt will be completed in 2025, will keep
dedicated MPA on the market at over the Maritime Airborne Warfare the aircraft flying at least until 2032.
85,139 kg. The aircraft is equipped System (MAWS) effort that was Upgraded capabilities on the aircraft
with Northrop Grumman infrared launched by France and Germany include the Thales Searchmaster
countermeasures and electronic in 2017 with the stated goal of surveillance radar.
support measures systems, developing a European-designed
Raytheon AN/APY-10 radar and manned aircraft for maritime Changing Hands
MK 54 lightweight torpedo, GE patrol missions, The proposed Not every military is buying new
Aviation flight-management and aircraft, launched as a replace- MPA. In August last year, the
stores-management systems, and ment for France’s ATL2 aircraft Argentine government finalized
air-to-surface / anti-ship missiles. and Germany’s P-3C Orion plat- negotiations to buy four surplus P-3
Among the countries that have forms. Responding to Germany’s Orion maritime patrol aircraft from
acquired the MPA in recent years P-8A decision, the French military the Royal Norwegian Air Force in a
are New Zealand, which received procurement agency Direction US$67 million deal. While three of
the first of its four P-8A Poseidon Générale de l’Armement (DGA) the P-3C aircraft are for maritime
aircraft in December 2022, and awarded contracts in December surveillance, anti-submarine, and
South Korea, which is replacing its 2022 to Airbus Defence & Space anti-surface missions, the P-3N is
P-3 MPA that served for over 25 and Dassault Aviation to exam- designed for search and rescue
years with six P-8As for an esti- ine potential replacements for its operations. The four aircraft, which
mated cost of $2.10 billion. With decades-old Atlantique ATL2 MPA have already undergone life exten-
Russian aggression on Ukraine fleet. The studies focus on the fea- sion and upgrade work, became
causing plenty of concern to sibility of using Airbus’ A320neo and surplus to Norway’s requirements
countries in the region, Germany Dassault’s Falcon 10X platforms for after the country signed a deal
announced in November last year the country’s new MPA fleet. The for five P-8As to replace its six
that it would add three more aircraft DGA plans to launch a procure- P-3 Orion’s and two DA-20 Jet
to its initial buy of five P-8A MPA. ment programme by 2026 and field Falcons. The aircraft, developed
The first five MPA will be delivered a future MPA by the 2030s. The by Lockheed Martin for the US
to Germany by the end of October MAWS programme remains alive, at Navy, entered service in 1962 and
2024. All five aircraft are likely to least officially. is currently in service with more

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