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| Australia's 1st P-8A Poseidon |
The first of twelve Australian P-8A Poseidon aircraft has been unveiled by Boeing at a roll-out ceremony in Seattle, Washington State, USA on September 27. Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Leo Davies, attended the ceremony and accepted into service the Royal Australian Air Force’s newest aircraft.
“It is a privilege to accept the first Australian P-8A Poseidon aircraft, said CAF AIRMSHL Davies.
“The P-8A is the latest in a pedigree of Boeing aircraft that have provided important and significant operational capability to Australia. This history includes the C-17A Globemaster, E-7A Wedgetail, F/A-18 Classic Hornet, F/A-18F Super Hornet, Helicopter Aircrew Training System and in the near future E/A-18G Growler.” CAF said.
Built from the ground up as a military aircraft, the P-8A is based on the proven commercial designs of Boeing’s 737-800 fuselage, but is substantially structurally modified to include a weapons bay, under wing and under fuselage hard points for weapons, as well as increased strengthening to allow for continued low level operations and high angle of bank turns.
Director Maritime Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Response Transition Office, GPCAPT Roger McCutcheon, said the P-8A was a fundamental element of Australia’s future maritime patrol and response strategy in replacing the current AP-3C Orion fleet - due for withdrawal in 2018-19.
“Over the next three years the P-8A will replace our current fleet of AP-3C Orion aircraft currently based at RAAF Base Edinburgh, said GPCAPT McCutcheon.
The first aircraft will arrive in Australia on 15 November 2016, with the remaining 11 aircraft to be delivered by March 2020.”
Read the full story at Navy Recognition