(U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Kat Justen) U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy has completed maiden operational boom refueling of U.S. Nav...
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| (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Kat Justen) |
U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy has completed maiden operational boom refueling of U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.
The P-8A is the second U.S. Navy aircraft equipped with boom refueling capability after the E-6B airborne command post and communications relay aircraft. Navy uses the less complex drogue and chute system for aerial refueling, while U.S Air Force employs the boom refueling.
A KC-135R Stratotanker from USAF 459th Air Refueling Wing was the first to operationally refuel the Naval Air Systems Command P-8A Poseidon.
Development of the boom refueling capability of the P-8A will further enhance strategic mission effectiveness by extending the present range of 1200 nm (2223 km) and 4 hour endurance of the platform.
U.S. Navy Cmdr. Shannon Hoover, Naval Air Forces Atlantic VX-1 Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron P-8A operational test director, said the P-8A has completed operational tests on the integration of the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile for surface warfare and the multi-static active acoustic search systems integration used in anti-submarine warfare.
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| (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Kat Justen) |
It is equipped with active multi-static and passive acoustic sensor system, inverse synthetic aperture/synthetic aperture radar, new electronic support measures system, new electro-optical/infrared sensor, digital magnetic anomaly detector for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare.
Onboard is a nine-person crew consisting two-pilots and five mission crew (plus relief pilot and in-flight technician) to man workstations with universal multi-function displays.
P-8A can be armed with MK54 torpedoes and mines in the internal weapons bays, and the Boeing Harpoon anti-ship missile under the four wing pylons.
The P-8A program achieved initial operational capability in December 2013, when the first P-8A squadron (VP-16) deployed to Kadena, Japan. US Navy has a requirement for 117 P-8A aircraft.
