Boeing Unveils Sub-hunting Poseidon JetAugust 07, 2009

 

Posedidon

Boeing in early August unveiled new maritime and reconnaissance aircraft for the U.S. Navy, a military version of its ubiquitous 737-800 commercial passenger airliner.

The P-8A Poseidon is a long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft with intelligence and surveillance capability for maritime missions, the company said.

Boeing's P-8A will replace Lockheed Martin's P-3C Orion aircraft, which has been used by the Navy for more than 40 years. Boeing said the P-8A provides greater payload capacity, and advanced software and communications, among other improvements.

Jim Albaugh, CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, noted that the P-8A Poseidon is a collaboration between Boeing's military and commercial-airplane division. Other partners in this Boeing-led effort include CFM International, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems and GE Aviation.

"The P-8A program is an outstanding example of evolutionary acquisition at work," said Capt. Mike Moran, U.S. Navy Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft program manager. "The team has worked hard to stay on schedule and within cost in this development effort."

This statement could be of great value to Boeing, which will rebid to supply the replacements for the Air Force's aging fleet of refueling tankers. That contract has been mired in controversy as Boeing and Northrop Grumman, and the European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co., have vied for the $35 billion contract.

Boeing would replace the Air Force's refueling tankers with a militarized version of the wide-body 767, modifying its assembly line in much the same way it did to transform its commercial 737-800 airplane into a military aircraft.

A Navy-Boeing team will begin formal flight-testing of the P-8A later this year. The Navy hopes to have the aircraft ready with initial operational capabilities in 2013. It is to receive 117 Poseidon jets and another eight test airplanes.