The Indian Navy will equip its eight P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircrafts being built by Boeing, with lightweight Mk54 Torp...
The Indian Navy will equip its eight P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance aircrafts being built by Boeing, with lightweight Mk54 Torpedos.
Raytheon was awarded a $45.3 million U.S. Navy contract to provide MK 54 lightweight torpedo hardware, test equipment, spares and related engineering and repair services for U.S. fleet inventory and in support of foreign military sales to the Royal Australian Navy and the Indian Navy.
The aircraft will also carry Boeing’s Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles.
The MK 54 is a next-generation anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon deployed from surface ships, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to detect and attack underwater targets. Sophisticated processing algorithms allow the MK54 to analyze the information, edit out false targets or countermeasures, and pursue identified threats. The MK 54 is designed for both deep water and littoral environments, making it the only lightweight torpedo capable of striking any underwater target in the world's oceans, regardless of water depth.
Recently, the U.S. Navy successfully launched the first MK 54 lightweight torpedo from the P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The torpedo adds a critical capability to these long-range ASW, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, which will be capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.
The P-8I is a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations. The P-8I is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing is developing for the U.S. Navy.
This military derivative of the Next-Generation 737-800 combines superior performance and reliability with an advanced mission system that ensures maximum interoperability in the future battle space.
The Indian navy is the first international customer for the P-8. Boeing signed a contract Jan. 1, 2009, to deliver eight long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft to the Indian navy. Boeing will deliver the first P-8I within 48 months of contract signing, and the remaining seven by 2015.
