Page 10 - LIMA 2023 - DAY 1 | DAILY NEWS

LONG RANGE MARITIME SURVEILLANCE

PLATFORMS ARE IN FAVOUR AGAIN

There is a resurgence in demand for 2024 respectively. U.S. Navy is the largest operator of the type
maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) with many with approximately 115 P-8As delivered,
modern navies now showing a preference Boeing delivered the 150th multi-mission followed by the RAN and IN with 12 each,
for dedicated long-range MPAs which can P-8 in July 2022 to the U.S. Navy’s Air nine with the RAF and five to the RNAF and
conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW); Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) One one with the RNZAF. The P-8 can fly up to
anti-surface warfare (ASuW); intelligence, based at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, 41,000 ft and with its speed of 490 knots,
surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) Maryland. The P-8 has two variants: The achieves shorter transit times and also
and search and rescue (SAR) missions. P-8I, flown by the Indian Navy (IN), and the reduces the size of the Area of Probability
Boeing’s P-8A ‘Poseidon’ has emerged as a P-8A Poseidon flown by the U.S. Navy, the when searching for submarines, surface
popular MPA with orders from eight nations United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force (RAF), vessels or search and rescue survivors.
- the USA, India, UK, Australia, Norway, New Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal
Zealand, South Korea and Germany, with Norwegian Air Force (RNAF) and Royal New The P-8 also offers cost advantages due
155 aircraft now in service. Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). to its 86% commonality with Boeing’s
commercial 737NG jetliners. The P-8 is
In January, France announced that it had The global P-8 fleet has now amassed over engineered for 25 years/25,000 hours in the

begun studies for a future maritime patrol half a million, mishap-free flight hours. The harshest maritime flight regimes, including
system that would be based on either the
A320neo or the Falcon 10X business jet.
These aircraft would replace the French
Navy’s fleet of Dassault Atlantique ATL2
MPAs post 2030. The Japan Maritime Self-
Defence Force (JMSDF) operates the
indigenously developed Kawasaki Heavy
Industries P-1 maritime patrol aircraft
(MPA) alongside its Lockheed Martin P-3C
Orion MPAs.

Dominant MPA
The RNZAF is the newest operator of the
P-8, taking delivery of its first aircraft in
December 2022. The aircraft delivered was
the first of four ordered by New Zealand
and the 155th P-8 aircraft delivered by
Boeing. Korea and Germany are to start
taking deliveries of their P-8s in 2023 and

10 MAY-23-2023 WWW.GBP.COM.SG/DAILY NEWS