UK will acquire nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to restart its much needed maritime surveillance and anti-surfa...
UK will acquire nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) to restart its much needed maritime surveillance and anti-surface warfare capability discarded in 2010.
The decision was announced by British Prime Minister David Cameron during the 5 year National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in the House of Commons today. The SDSR analyses the full range of threats faced by UK and examines the capabilities needed to counter them
The acquisition will plug the capability gap arised after the retirement of RAF’s Nimrod MR2 fleet in 2010 and cancellation of its replacement Nimrod MRA4 program in the 2010 SDSR.
The review says the risks and threats faced by the UK have increased in scale, diversity and complexity since the last SDSR in 2010, siting Russia’s resurgence, instability in the Middle East and North Africa.
Earlier this year, UK was forced to call French and Canadian surveillance aircraft to track an suspected Russian submarine near Royal Navy's Faslane base.
The P-8A is the most advanced long-range anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft in the world, which entered service with US Navy in 2013.
These aircraft will be based in Scotland and will also have an overland surveillance capability
Based on Boeing’s Next-Generation 737-800 commercial aircraft, Poseidon is capable of broad-area maritime and littoral operations, and can self-deploy up to 4,500 miles from base without refueling.
On-board sensors include the Northrop Grumman AN/APY-10 maritime, littoral and overland surveillance radar and long-range electro-optical sensors.
With a service life of 25 years/25,000 hours, P-8 is designed to fly in the harshest maritime flight regimes, including extended operations in icing environments.
It can carry Mk 54 torpedoes, depth charges and sonobuoys in its internal bay and four Harpoon anti-ship missiles on under wing pylons.
The CFM-56B commercial engines each rated at 27,000 pounds of thrust, enable to reach up to 41,000 feet and travel up to 490 knots speed, greatly enhancing climb and flight characteristics over turboprop equipped aircraft.
Each engine is equipped with a 180KVA engine driven generator. Combined with the 90 KVA commercial APU, provides an excess 450 KVA to power its onboard sensors and workstations.
The P-8A has a Maximum Takeoff Gross Weight of 189,200 lbs (85,820 kg).
