Mission

The P-8A Poseidon is quickly becoming a leader in long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), as the replacement aircraft for the P-3C Orion.

Description

The P-8A Poseidon,the U.S. Navy's maritime patrol aircraft, is capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations, and is also successful at search and rescue.

Operating with a smaller crew, yet delivering an extended global reach, greater payload capacity, higher operating altitude, open-systems architecture and significant growth potential, the P-8A provides more combat capability. 

With state of the art technology, developed specifically for the Poseidon, such as synthetic aperture radar, an electro and optical infrared sensor turret, and increased acoustic capability, the aircraft conducts concurrent passive and active processing.

In addition to aircraft procurement, the program office, NAVAIR's PMA-290, is also focused on depot-level maintenance, which is currently on-going at U.S.-based airframe maintenance facilities. Additionally, training systems infrastructure improvements are ongoing, along with the continued integration and fleet delivery of preplanned incremental capability upgrades.

Equipped with state of the art radars, sensors and a new air-to-air refuel capability, the P-8A is scheduled to receive periodic future enhancements to keep pace with the ASW threat.

The P-8A Poseidon is responsive and interoperable with traditional manned forces and evolving unmanned sensors.

 
Specifications

Primary Function:  Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-surface Warfare (ASuW), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR)
Contractor:  Boeing Defense, Space and Security
Propulsion:  2 CFM 56-7B engines with 27,300 lbs. thrust each
Length:  129.5 feet (39.47 meters)
Height: 42.1 feet (12.83 meters)
Wingspan:  123.6 feet (37.64 meters)
Maximum Gross Takeoff:  189,200 pounds (85,820 kilograms)
Airspeed:  490 knots (564 mph) true air speed
Ceiling:  41,000 feet (12,496 meters)
Range:  1,200 nautical miles radius with four hours on station
Crew:  Nine
Armament:  Torpedoes, cruise missiles

Program Status

ACAT:  I C
Acquisition Phase: Full Rate Production (FRP) 
Initial Operational Capabilities (IOC) date: November 2013

Projected Full Operational Capabilities (FOC) date: 2023