Meet the Navy's New ASW Jet P8A to replace the P-3C

As a result of the MMA program, the Navy has bought 117 new P8A Poseidon planes to replace the 196 ancient P3C Orion turboprops. It is bigger, heavier, and 4 times the unit cost. 30% greater Turbo-fan Jet speed will get it to datum more quickly, but with half the range of action. Loiter time at datum and reliability to meet mission needs to be demonstrated. It is now heading for the South China Sea to hunt Chinese submarines, and will meet a real test.

P-8A Poseidon touching down at PAX River

Boeing P-8 Poseidon 

The Boeing P-8a Poseidon is the Navy production variant of the P-8 (formerly the Multimission Maritime Aircraft or MMA) a military aircraft currently being developed for the United States Navy (USN). The aircraft is being developed by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, modified from the 737-800.





The P-8 is intended to conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and shipping interdiction and to engage in an electronic intelligence (ELINT) role. This will involve carrying torpedoes, depth charges, SLAM-ER, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons. It will also be able to drop and monitor sonobuoys. It is designed to operate in conjunction with the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle. The P-8 has also been ordered by the Indian Navy.

Boeing: P-8A Poseidon
 

The P-8A is a derivative of the highly successful and reliable Next-Generation 737. The P-8A has the fuselage of a 737-800 and the wings of a 737-900. Modifications to the baseline commercial aircraft are incorporated into the aircraft in-line. In the past, commercial aircraft were sent to modification centers where they were taken apart and rebuilt to meet military specifications. The P-8A is Boeing's first military derivative aircraft to incorporate structural modifications to the aircraft as it moves through the commercial line.

The aircraft is supported by an industry team of:

CFM International supplies the CFM56-7 engine that powers the P-8A

Northrop Grumman provides the directional infrared countermeasures system and the electronic support measures system.

Raytheon provides the upgraded AN/APY-10 maritime surveillance radar and signals intelligence solutions.

GE Aviation supplies flight-management and stores-management systems.

Spirit AeroSystems builds the 737 aircraft's fuselage and airframe tail sections and struts.

Characteristics of the P8a Poseidon:

• Crew: Flight: 2; Mission: 7 = reduced by 2
• Length: 129 ft 5 in (39.47 m) = 13 ft longer
• Wingspan: 123 ft 6 in (37.64 m) = 23 ft wider
• Height: 42 ft 1 in (12.83 m) = 3 ft 3 inches taller
• Empty weight: 138,300 lb (62,730 kg) = 30,000 lb heavier
• Max. takeoff weight: 189,200 lb (85,820 kg) = 54,000 lb heavier
• Powerplant: 2 × CFM56-7B turbofan, 27,000 lbf (120 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 490 knots (907 km/h) = 79 knots faster
• Cruise speed: 440 kn (815 km/h) = 112 knots faster
• Range: 1,200 nmi (2,222 km); 1,180 nmi less
• 4 hours on station (for anti-submarine warfare mission)
• Service ceiling: 41,000 ft (12,496 m) =12,000 ft higher

For Comparison, General Characteristics and performance of P3c Orion

• Crew: 11^[1]
• Length: 116 ft 10 in (35.6 m^[72])
• Wingspan: 99 ft 8 in^[72] (30.4 m)
• Height: 38 ft 8 in^[72] (11.8 m)
• Wing area: 1300 ft² (120.8 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 0014-1.10 (Root) – NACA 0012-1.10 (Tip)
• Empty weight: 77,200 lb (35,000 kg^[72])
• Loaded weight: 135,000 lb (61,400 kg)
• Useful load: 57,800 lb (26,400 kg)
• Max. takeoff weight: 142,000 lb (64,400 kg^[72])
• Powerplant: 4^[1] × Allison T56-A-14^[1] turboprop^[1], 4,600 shp^[1] (3,700 kW) each
• Propellers: Four-bladed Hamilton Standard propeller^[1], 1 per engine
  • Propeller diameter: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)

• Maximum speed: 411 kn^[1] (750 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 328 kn^[1] (610 km/h)
• Range: 2,380 nmi radius^[1] (4,400 km)
• Combat radius: 1,346 nmi^[1] (2,490 km)three hours on-station at 1,500 feet
• Ferry range: 4,830 nmi^[72](8,944 km)
• Endurance: 16 hours^[72]
• Service ceiling: 28,300 ft^[1] (8,625 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,140 ft/min (16 m/s)
• Wing loading: 107 lb/ft² (530 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.03 hp/lb (0.06 kW/kg)

Naval Air: P-8 Moves To The Tropics

December 21, 2013: In early 2013 the U.S. Navy activated its first maritime surveillance squadron (VP-16) equipped with the new P-8A aircraft. Late in 2013 VP-16 sent two of its P-8As off to Okinawa for seven months of patrolling, intelligence gathering and getting a better idea of how the aircraft operates for extended periods in the tropics. This will also make it possible to see how well the P-8A is at hunting down Chinese submarines, which have been at sea a lot more often in the last few years.

Meet the Navy's New $150M Submarine-Destroying Jet

Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing's P-8 Poseidon plane may look a lot like the company's 737, but it's actually a highly-advanced military aircraft that's equipped to hunt submarines. The U.S. Navy has just deployed several of the airplanes to Japan to increase U.S. military presence around the disputed Senkaku Islands, which Japan controls and China claims. It's the first ever deployment for the aircraft, which has been in development for nearly a decade. Here's a look at the game-changing capabilities of the P-8. (Source: Bloomberg)

New drone supports P-8A Poseidon - Whidbey News-Times

The Triton is expected to supplement the P-8A Poseidon in patrol missions, and is expected to be operational at NAS Whidbey by 2015-2016, Brown said.

The Triton is a multiple-sensor, unarmed, unmanned aircraft system that is approximately 48 feet long and has a wingspan of approximately 131 feet, according to the Navy’s executive summary on the project. The Triton will provide continuous maritime intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data collection and dissemination capability to remain in flight up to 24 hours per day.

The Triton UAS is a complement to the Navy’s P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft and uses the same tactical support centers as the P-8A aircraft.

The tactical support centers operate the command and control functions of both the P-8A aircraft and Triton UAS.

OPTEVFOR says sensors not ready

Boeing surveillance plane found not yet effective for missions | The Columbian

WASHINGTON — A new Boeing surveillance aircraft deployed to Japan last month as part of the U.S. shift to Asia isn't yet effective for its primary submarine-hunting and intelligence missions, the Pentagon's weapons tester found.

The new P-8A Poseidon exhibited "all of the major deficiencies" identified in earlier exercises when subjected to more stressful realistic combat testing from September 2012 to March 2013, Michael Gilmore, chief of the Pentagon testing office, wrote in his annual report on major weapons, which has yet to be released. Flaws included the plane's radar performance, sensor integration and data transfer.
"Many of these deficiencies" led Gilmore to determine that the P-8A "is not effective for the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission and is not effective for wide area anti-submarine search," he said in a section of the report obtained by Bloomberg News. The Navy plans to conduct additional testing "to verify the correction of some deficiencies," he wrote.

Gilmore's conclusions suggest the initial aircraft in the $35 billion program — a modified Boeing 737-800 packed with radar and sensors — aren't ready for deployment. Among its primary missions is tracking Chinese submarines. Six of the planes have been deployed to Japan supporting 7th Fleet maritime patrol operations at Naval Air Facility Atsugi.