The P-8 Poseidon will patrol and hunt submarines over the seas for the next 50 years, which
we call the Second Cold War. This aircraft has significant advantages over its predecessor,
the P-3 Orion. But, can it be described as a new generation maritime patrol aircraft?
As the Weapon Detective, we are investigating the answer to this question.
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The P-8 Poseidon may not sexy as the F-22, F-35, Rafale or Eurofighter Typhoon. It is
an ordinary maritime patrol aircraft, combining a regular airliner and state-of-art electronics
and sensors. But, in contrast with this simplicity, the P-8 has high military value as the new-generation
fighters. The story of the P-8 goes back to the 1980s
when the US Navy had begun a study on a new maritime patrol aircraft to replace the P-3
Orion. In 1989, Washington awarded Lockheed with a fixed-price contract to develop the
P-7. Because the First Cold War ended, the programme lost its urgency. Besides, in the
new unipolar world, the threat perception changed. This caused uncertainty on the mission
definition of the new maritime aircraft. So, the USA cancelled the contract in 1990.
Ten years later, Washington started a second programme for the replacement of the P-3.
This time, Lockheed Martin and Boeing were competitors.
In 2004, Boeing became the winner of the programme with the P-8 Poseidon, which combines the
proven fuselage of the Boeing 737-800 and the wings of the Boeing 737-900.
In 2005, the backswept wingtips of the aircraft replaced the previous blended winglets.
The P-8 performed its maiden flight on April 25, 2009. Three years later, the aircraft
became operational in the US Navy. Australia, Germany, India, New Zealand, Norway,
South Korea, the UK, and the USA are users of the aircraft.
The nine-person crew of the P-8A Poseidon consists of a pilot, a co-pilot, and seven
mission system operators. The aircraft has a length of nearly 39.5 metres, a wingspan
of 37.6 metres, and a height of 13 metres. Its empty weight is 62,73 tons, while its
maximum takeoff weight is about 85.82 tons. Two 120.1 kiloNewton CFM56-7B27A turbofan
engines provide a maximum speed of over 900 kilometres per hour. The aircraft can climb
an altitude of nearly 12,500 metres, in other words, 41,000 feet. The P-8A has five hardpoints
in its internal bays as well as six external hardpoints. It can carry the AGM-84 Harpoon
anti-ship missiles, Mk 54 torpedoes, mines, and depth charges.
Except for the I versions for India, the P-8s do not have a magnetic anomaly detector, shortly
MAD. The Indian Poseidons, called P-8I, has MAD, so this model is therefore 1.5 meters
longer. A mass of ferromagnetic material, such as
a submarine, creates a detectable disturbance in the Earth's magnetic field. MAD is a tool
that can detect this ailment, so it is remarkably effective for finding a submerged submarine.
The US Navy claims that the acoustic sensor system of the aircraft is reportedly more
effective at acoustic tracking. Thus, lacking a MAD won't impede its detection capabilities.
However, it is reported that the US Navy is developing a variant of an unmanned aerial
vehicle, called the High-Altitude Unmanned Targeting Air System, which can carry a MAD
sensor and transmit its findings back up to the P-8.
The Poseidon can be already operated in conjunction with the MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance
unmanned aerial vehicle. The AN/APY-10 radar of the aircraft can detect
an object with a cross-sectional area of 54 square meters in sea state 3. It can also
detect an object with a radar cross-section area of 10,000 square meters from a range
of 370 kilometres. The radar allows tracking 256 targets simultaneously, including small
ones such as periscope. The Advanced Airborne Sensor, shortly AAS,
will replace the APS-149 Littoral Surveillance Radar System of the P-8. The AAS provides
multi-function moving target detection and tracking and high-resolution ground mapping
at standoff range covering land, littoral, and water areas. With near 360-degree coverage,
it has a double-sided active electronically scanned array radar, which contains a moving
target indicator, synthetic aperture radar, and inverse synthetic aperture radar.
Synthetic-aperture radar can create two-dimensional images or three-dimensional reconstructions
of objects. The inverse synthetic-aperture radar is the
name of a radar technique using radar imaging to generate a two-dimensional high-resolution
image of a target. It has a significant role aboard maritime patrol aircraft to provide
them with radar images of sufficient quality, which allow target recognition.
Moving target indication is a mode of operation of a radar to discriminate a target against
the clutter and find moving objects. Thus, the AAS can scan, detect, map, track,
and classify targets nearly simultaneously on land and sea together. The radar can profile
vessels from a long distance and generate good resolution without relying on optical
sensors, especially day or night and in adverse weather conditions. Some sources claim that
the AAS is sensitive enough to pick up a formation of people moving over open terrain.
The AN/APS-143 Ocean Eye synthetic aperture radar of the I versions has 360-degree coverage.
It can detect a target with a radar cross-section of 1 square meter at a range of 370 kilometres.
The German P-8s will have locally developed mission packages.
The P-8 can loiter at a speed of 333 kilometres per hour over the sea at 60 metres.
The aircraft can use only the boom in-flight refuelling method.
Australia, South Korea and the USA have tanker aircraft with the boom system.
Currently, the other five users of the Poseidon cannot extend the endurance of these aircraft
by in-flight refuelling. However, Norway will acquire a single A330
MRTT, which also has a boom system. The Royal New Zealand Air Force does not have
a tanker aircraft. The German A310 MRTTs and the Indian Il-78s
have hose and drogue aerial refuelling systems. Neither the Voyager KC2s nor KC3s of the Royal
Air Force has the boom aerial refuelling system. However, in 2016, the UK stated its interest
in the idea of fitting this system to at least some of the tanker aircraft fleet.
After the First Cold War ended, the Western World was relieved from the Soviet Navy threat.
So, the maritime patrol aircraft lost their importance a little bit.
But, the Second Cold War has begun hard on the seas.
The Chinese sea power is rapidly growing. Since the early 2010s, Russia has accelerated
its investments in the navy. Many countries bordering the Indian Ocean
that did not have a submarine 20 years ago now have submarines.
As if that were not enough, the pirates now threaten the most important sea lines more
than ever. All these facts have increased the importance
of maritime patrol aircraft once again. Still, the operational experience of the Poseidon
so far has been considerably smooth. The US P-8As patrol near China regularly.
In 2014, a Chinese J-11 fighter came within 30 feet of a US P-8A about 250 kilometres
east of Hainan Island while patrolling the South China Sea. Additionally, a Pentagon
spokesperson said the J-11's unit had made close intercepts earlier that year.
Naturally, these events have made the USA anxious. The dangerous manoeuvres the Chinese
aircraft carried out at close range reminded the EP-3E, which was forced to land in Hainan
in 2001. The Poseidon worries the rivals of the USA
at the other end of the world. In 2016, a Russian Su-30 fighter dangerously intercepted
a P-8. There is a reason why the Russian Air Force is acting so harshly.
According to the military blog The Aviationist, in 2016, the Poseidons detected and engaged
one or two Oscar-class submarines in the Mediterranean. Unlike the USA, India’s experiences are
not on the sea but the land. This country used its Poseidons for observing Doklam Standoff
near the China border and Pulwama Standoff near the Pakistan border.
It would be helpful to make a note here. The use of maritime patrol aircraft on land is
not a new situation. In 1987, France operated a single Atlantique
as an airborne headquarters during Opération Épervier, the French intervention against
Libyan military units in Chad. Also, during the 1999 Kosovo War, France used
these aircraft for surveillance missions over Serbia.
In 2013, French Navy Atlantique-2s even dropped laser-guided GBU-12 bombs on jihadist militants
in Mali. In 2015, these aircraft bombed ISIL targets in Syria.
Like the Atlantique, the US P-3s were used for battlespace surveillance on land over
Iraq in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Also, the Pakistani Orions conducted the same
mission during the Kargil conflict. Of course, there are so many other examples.
But briefly, the use of maritime patrol aircraft on land is increasing day by day. In fact,
the USA realized this situation and demanded that the ground observation ability of the
P-8 to be high during the development process. As we mentioned, the design of the aircraft
is based on the proven Boeing 737 commercial airliner.
But we want to draw attention to something. The P-3 was based on the L-188 Electra made
its first flight in 1957. Thus, you can see that in the overall plane
design, the P-8 has only a 10-year advantage over the P-3.
Still, this is a wise choice. The Boeing 737 made its first flight in 1967. Since then,
Boeing has produced more than 10 thousand pieces of them.
Due to using a pre-existing airframe, development proceeded relatively smoothly. Also, the USA
had decided to receive the P-8’s advanced systems gradually rather than acquiring them
all at once. This led the P-8’s unit costs to stay under the initial budget plan.
Besides, the fact that the US Navy has been already using the Boeing 737-based C-40 Clipper
brought with it a significant logistical advantage. It also applies to other P-8 users. Australia,
South Korea, and the UK are users of the Boeing 737-based E-7 early warning and command aircraft.
In fact, the highly successful commercial airliner Boeing 737 was not used as a military
maritime patrol aircraft for the first time. Before the P-8, in 1982, Indonesia modified
three Boeing 737s as maritime patrol aircraft to hinder pirate activities. However, unlike
the Poseidon, they, called Boeing 737-2X9 Surveiller or Punuk, do not have a weapon
capacity. Five airline companies in Australia have more
than 150 Boeing 737s. Four companies with 118 aircraft in India, two companies with
13 aircraft in New Zealand, two companies with 162 aircraft in Norway, five companies
with 106 aircraft in South Korea, five companies with 134 aircraft in the UK, and 15 companies
with 1,780 aircraft in the USA need to add. Considering these numbers and the global success
of the Boeing 737, the P-8 is one of the easiest maintainable military aircraft, providing
easy access to spare parts and technical personnel. But it is too big for many countries that
do not have a coast to the oceans and are interested in procuring new sea patrol aircraft.
So, despite the obvious advantages of the P-8, they would prefer the smallest platform
based on light cargo aircraft, regional airliners, or business jets.
As you see, the P-8 is not a new generation maritime patrol aircraft. It's just a successful
good old airliner equipped with next-generation electronic and combat systems. These new generation
electronic systems can also be integrated into many different aircraft. So, they can
also have the abilities of the P-8 by sacrificing a bit of combat radius and weapon carrying
capacities. Thanks for watching our video. And please
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