Source: www.navair.navy.mil / US Navy NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland. After an extensive testing period, the U.S. N...
Source: www.navair.navy.mil / US Navy
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Maryland.
After an extensive testing period, the U.S. Navy announced on July 1 in an Initial Operational Test and Evaluation report that its new patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, Boeing P-8A Poseidon, has been found “operationally effective, operationally suitable, and ready for fleet introduction.”
This announcement of completing IOT&E follows another major program milestone last month, the successful firing of the Harpoon from the P-8A, which resulted in a successful target strike.
Initial operational test and evaluation is the final dedicated phase of OT&E preceding a full-rate production decision. It is the final evaluation that entails dedicated operational testing of production representative test articles and uses typical operational scenarios that are as realistic as possible.
On June 24, after completing just one practice run at the Point Mugu Sea Test Range, a P-8A Poseidon from Pax River after six minutes of flight time, successfully launched a Harpoon AGM-84D Block IC anti ship missile on the first hot run scoring a direct hit on a Low Cost Modular Target.
The first P-8A squadron will be operationally deployed this winter with P-3 and EP-3 squadrons.To date, nine low rate initial production aircraft have been delivered to the fleet and six test aircraft have been delivered to NAVAIR. According to the program record, the Navy plans on purchasing 117 P-8As aircraft.
The P-8A Poseidon will replace the P-3C Orion as a long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.
The P-8 is a military derivative of the Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 commercial airliner, and is the most advanced anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft in the world. It is a true multi-mission aircraft provides long-range maritime reconnaissance capabilities.
For more than 40 years, the Harpoon weapon system has served the Navy well by offering a low-level and sea-skimming cruisetrajectory that supports high survivability and effectiveness. This air-launched variant of the Harpoon 1C is currently integrated on the P-3C.
