The Poseidon P-8 has been making the news in recent times as Boeing works to secure
a deal with the Canadian military. The Canadian forces are looking to replace
their aging maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft and the government had decided
earlier in 2023 that the P-8 was the only suitable aircraft. With this deal ongoing,
it's worth looking at this militarized 737 variant, its history, and its capabilities.
According to Fi-Aeroweb, the P-8 conducted its first flight on April 25th, 2009. Full-scale
testing of the airframe would then continue until January 2011. Months later, on July 7th, 2011, the
first production aircraft made its initial flight and was delivered to the US Navy on March 4th,
2012. By January 3rd, 2014, the type was approved for Full Rate Production (also known as FRP).
Based on the popular Boeing 737 commercial aircraft platform,
the jet has the fuselage of a 737-800 but sports broader wings. The aircraft
is powered by a pair of CFM International CFM56-7B high-bypass turbofan engines.
As the US planemaker highlights, the P-8 shares 86% commonality with the commercial
737NG, quote "providing enormous supply chain economies of scale in production and support."
For aviation enthusiasts new to this militarized 737 variant, there can be
some confusion around the naming. Interestingly, P-8 and P-8A are oftentimes used interchangeably,
without much explanation on what the "A" might stand for. According to Boeing,
the P-8 has two variants: The P-8i and the P-8A.
The P-8i is only flown by the Indian Navy while the P-8A Poseidon flown by the US Navy,
the UK's Royal Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal Norwegian Air Force and
Royal New Zealand Air Force. If Boeing gets its way, the Royal Canadian Air Force will
eventually be operating these jets, but this is a topic we'll discuss further down in this video.
As per Indian Aerospace Defence News, there are four big differences between the -8I and the -8A:
The P-8I's surface search radar is an “international
version” suitable for export to India.
P-8I has has a different data link to communicate between ships and ground
based stations, compared to the P-8A, which uses a NATO-compatible Data Link.
P-8I is equipped with an AN/ASQ-508A Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD)
which is absent on standard P-8As. Finally, a Griffon Corporation Telephonics
APS-143C(V)3 multimode aft radar is on the P-8I which is otherwise absent on the standard P8A.
Ultimately, it looks like the P-8A is available to close US allies,
whether they be fellow NATO members, or members of the "five eyes" intelligence alliance.
Those five members are Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States.
India, not being a member of either of these groups,
has a P-8 variant with different technologies.
The P-8 is a multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft, suited to anti-submarine warfare
and anti-surface warfare. Not only can it conduct ISR (intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance) operations, but the jet can be used for search and rescue as well.
Technical data comparing the P-8 with the 737-800 and sourced from Boeing, PM Flight,
and Rocket Route shows that there are a few small differences between the two jets.
Notably, the Poseidon P-8’s wingspan is 123.6 ft (37.64m) while the 737-800’s
is about five feet shorter at 117 ft 5 in (35.8m).
In terms of Height, the P-8 is 42.1 ft (12.83m) while the 737-800 is 41 ft 3 in (12.5m).
Both jets have an identical length of 129.6 ft (39.50m) and both are
powered by the CFM56 - albeit different variants.
Another similarity is their ceiling height, which is 41,000 ft (12.496 m).
The maximum takeoff weight of the P8 appears to be higher at 189,200 lb
(85.820 kg), compared to 174,200 lb (79,010 kg) for the 737-800.
Range is a bit of a tricky one, as Boeing provides a military-specific range figure for the P8,
publishing a 1,200+ nm (2.225+ km) distance, with over 4 hours of “time on station”.
This essentially means that the jet can takeoff from a base with a full fuel load,
fly over 1200 nautical miles to a location, fly around in that specific area for 4 hours,
and then return to its origin base. This type of figure is ideal for those wanting to get a
rough idea for usefulness during search and rescue missions, or the surveillance of a certain area.
The 737-800’s figure for range, however, is much more straightforward. Using the common
concept of going from point A to point B, it can fly about 3,115 nautical miles (5,765 km).
Finally, it didn't seem right to compare weapon or defense storage capability in a chart with the
737-800, but it's also worth noting that the P-8A can be fitted with 129 A-size sonobuoys,
a harpoon, a number of MK-54 torpedoes, and a survival kit. Aerial refueling is
another capability present in the P-8 that is not available for the 737-800.
In its promotional material, Boeing states:
"Shorter transit times reduce the size of the Area of Probability when searching for submarines,
surface vessels or search and rescue survivors. P-8 is also designed for low altitude missions
and has already proven its abilities supporting humanitarian and search and rescue missions."
Examining data from Planespotters.net,
the following countries have ordered and are operating the P-8:
United States - or more specifically the US Navy - has 123.
India operates 12. Australia (12)
The United Kingdom (9) Norway (5)
New Zealand (3) And South Korea (2).
Additionally, the German Navy has 12 on order. This began with an initial
agreement for five but was later boosted with an additional order for seven in 2022.
Commonality and a proven platform are huge selling points for Boeing.
As parts and supply chains will be strong for this 737 variant. The company states:
"Boeing’s expertise in commercial fleet management and derivative
aircraft sustainment provides customers with greater availability at a lower operational
cost. The P-8 is engineered for 25 years/25,000 hours in the harshest maritime flight regimes,
including extended operations in icing environments."
Of the intelligence alliance known as the "Five Eyes," Canada is clearly
stands out as the one member not yet operating the Boeing P-8A. This could
soon change as the country seeks to modernize aspects of its military.
As noted previously, Canada is on a mission to replace its fleet of aging maritime surveillance
aircraft: 14 Lockheed CP-140 Auroras. These turboprops had entered service in the 1980s but
had extensive modernization work carried out in 1998 to keep the fleet in service up until 2030.
This has given the government more time, but the Auroras won't be flying forever.
Looking beyond 2030, the Canadian government is considering the purchase of up to 16 P-8As.
On March 27th the Canadian government announced
that the Boeing P-8A Poseidon was the sole aircraft available considered to
be a suitable candidate for its Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) program.
In an official statement, the department known as Public Services and Procurement Canada stated:
"Following engagements with industry and Canada’s closest allies, the government
has determined that the P-8A Poseidon is the only currently available aircraft that meets
all of the CMMA operational requirements, namely anti-submarine warfare and C4ISR. This platform
is a proven capability that is operated by several of Canada’s defence partners including all of its
Five Eyes allies—the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand—as well
as Norway and South Korea. Germany has also recently purchased this platform."
Days after the government statement was issued, Canadian aerospace firm Bombardier spoke out,
arguing that a Canadian-made solution must be considered as well. At the time,
a Bombardier spokesperson stated, “Canada has the opportunity to leverage its [domestic]
aerospace industry to provide a multi-mission aircraft that will be the standard for decades
to come...Performance should matter. Canadian jobs should matter. And sustainability matters most.”
Bombardier has been refining its 'candidate' to rival the P-8A and has teamed up with defense
contractor General Dynamics Missions Systems - Canada to develop a maritime
surveillance and anti-submarine aircraft based on its Global 6500 private jet.
While this aircraft is not the focus of this video, it will be interesting to see how the
pair of Canadian companies will design a jet that will properly compete against the P-8A.
Boeing proudly labels the P-8 as "a proven system," citing the fact that it has more
than 155 aircraft in service. It also adds that the P-8 has executed more than 500,000
"mishap free flight-hours around the globe."
With the 737NG series (and its CFM56 engines) already proving to be reliable for commercial
airlines globally, the P-8 draws many benefits from the commonality with
its commercial counterpart. Unfortunately, for prospective customers (particularly US allies),
this might just mean that Boeing has cornered the market, and thus
eliminated any serious competition and potentially driving up prices.
But what do you think of Boeing's P-8 Poseidon? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.