P-8 Poseidon

[GTX_Admin]

Looks nice and spiffy. When is the last RAAF Orion likely to bow out?

2018 is the plan.  The first to be retired (-663) died back in 2014:

[upnorth]

That's a sad scene.

I trust at least one or two are earmarked for museums?

[finsrin]

Couldn't agree more.  Do hope a few are earmarked.

[elmayerle]

Wedgetail radar on P-8 as an EP-8 if more AWACS aircraft are needed?  I could also see ELINT EP-8s with 'lumps and bumps' like the EP-3 has.

[arkon]

Just read recently that ep-3's will be replaced by drones.☠️ No more VQ-1 or 2
Will try to find where I read that post it later.

[elmayerle]

Just read recently that ep-3's will be replaced by drones.☠️ No more VQ-1 or 2
Will try to find where I read that post it later.

I would imagine they will first replace some of the older and more worn EP-3Es with MQ-4C Triton "Broad Area Maritime Surveillance" UAVs but I can still see the need for a crewed presence.  At one time, the US Navy and Army were collaborating on a common new ELINT platform, but the selected option proved to be too small when the requirements, including power and cooling, for the necessary equipment fit were finalized and that project died.  To the best of my knowledge, the USN has an effort underway to replace their EP-3Es with new, business-jet-derived, aircraft.  Given the relationship between the P-8 and various BBJ variants, I could see an EP-8 being in the running.  It certainly would not hurt that the company currently maintaining, upgrading, and converting (P-3 to EP-3) the present fleet also has considerable experience with BBJs.

[GTX_Admin]

See here for some info on Boeings thoughts a few years back on a P-8 version for EP-X.

[elmayerle]

Their thoughts still make sense today.  One thing they don't mention is that using the P-8 fuselage will give considerably more cabin room than the EP-3 has.  Fully staffed and operational, the only aircraft I can think that is tighter on space is the E-2 (I've been in the cabins of both).  Also, given the very similar, if not identical, cross-sections between the KC-135 and 737, I could see a lot of the Rivet Joint antennas fitting an EP-8 without undue problem.

[GTX_Admin]

Wedgetail radar on P-8 as an EP-8 if more AWACS aircraft are needed?

I don't know if that would work in reality (the whiffers is a different matter...) as I understand that the Wedgetail E-7s are fairly close to weight limits (I may be wrong in this) and that the P-8 also adds more weight therefore you may end up with one heavy bird.

[jcf]

Installation of the tophat radar on Wedgetail is a major undertaking.
All of the fuselage frames in way of the installation are removed and
replaced with frames of increased section, depth and stronger material.
New skins are also used, then you have the installation of the new
raceways for the massive number of new heavy gauge cables for the
DC power supply to the radar elements, plus a new internal bulkhead
with heavy shielding/insulation, there is a hatch, but the area is a no-go
while the radar system is operating.

Adding the Wedgetail radar to a P-8 would be a major redesign.

[elmayerle]

in another words, such would be a whif only; no real world possibility.  You would probably have an easier time installing something equivalent to the latest E-2 radar on a P-8 (witness such an installation on the P-3).  One that could definitely get a reaction would be a P-8 equivalent of the NP-3D with that huge dorsal radome faired into the vertical tail.

[jcf]

Yep, they walked us all through the structural changes when I transferred to the program. The amount of rework was crazy.
Remind me to scan my early config drawing that included probe-refueling. Makes it look very different.

[elmayerle]

I'm quite familiar with the structural mods done to mount the "M&M" radome on the bottom of the EP-3 so I can well imagine what installing that radar took.

[GTX_Admin]

First RAAF P-8 arrives in Australia:

[taiidantomcat]

From what I am hearing p-8s are scary good

[Logan Hartke]

And I sure see a lot of them in the skies over my city, so their reliability rate has to be halfway decent.

Cheers,

Logan

[The Big Gimper]

Boeing Receives $1.5 Billion P-8A Poseidon Contract From U.S. Navy

ARLINGTON, Va., March 30, 2020 — The U.S. Navy awarded The Boeing Company a $1.5 billion production contract for the next 18 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The contract includes eight aircraft for the U.S. Navy, six aircraft for the Republic of Korea Navy and four aircraft for the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

The Republic of Korea Navy and Royal New Zealand Air Force acquired the aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales process and will receive the same P-8A Poseidon variant designed and produced for the U.S. Navy. The Royal New Zealand Air Force is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2022 and the Republic of Korea Navy is expected to begin receiving aircraft in 2023.

[GTX_Admin]

Good chance for Canadian ones in the future too.

RAAF ones are going well:

[GTX_Admin]

Coming soon:


https://www.beehive.govt.nz/sites/default/files/2019-06/P-8%20A4%20Factsheet.pdf

[GTX_Admin]

Social Media post by RNZAF:

By the numbers. All our Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft have a unique serial number that follows our Defence Force convention. An important step in the construction of our new P-8A fleet is allocating the tail numbers, which will have the numbers NZ4801 – 04.

Broken down this means:
✚ NZ – the prefix for NZDF
✚ 4 – denotes the aircraft’s role of maritime, our current P-3K2 fleet uses a 4 in the same way
✚ 8 – this denotes the aircraft type in this case 8 was available and made sense to use it given it is a P-8A fleet
✚ 01-04 – these final two numbers are the sequential tail numbers.

Serial numbers previously allocated to RNZAF maritime aircraft include:
✚ NZ4001 to NZ4056 | PB2B-1 Catalina
✚ NZ4101 to NZ4120 | Short Sunderland MK III and MR.5
✚ NZ4201 to NZ4206 | Lockheed P-3K Orion
✚ NZ4501 to NZ4639 | Lockheed PV-1 and B-34 Ventura
✚ NZ4701 to NZ4704 | Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon

[The Big Gimper]

Via Twitter

In a day for European nations buying American, Germany has signed for five @BoeingDefense P-8 maritime patrol aircraft via the US FMS process. DSCA notice in March gave a value of $1.77bn for the deal, inc equipment and support.

[GTX_Admin]

Anyone want to do an Aéronavale version as a replacement for the Bréguet Atlantique 2?

[apophenia]

Anyone want to do an Aéronavale version as a replacement for the Bréguet Atlantique 2?

Makes me wonder, what is the equivalent French expression to "raised hackles"? 

[Rickshaw]

Anyone want to do an Aéronavale version as a replacement for the Bréguet Atlantique 2?

Makes me wonder, what is the equivalent French expression to "raised hackles"? 

"hérissés"

[apophenia]

"hérissés"

Perfect! To bristle and be cringe-inducing at the same time