News Review: US Navy awards P-8A production contract | ADM Mar 2011

The US Navy has awarded Boeing a US$1.6 billion contract for P-8A Poseidon aircraft Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of six aircraft. This first LRIP contract also includes spares, logistics and training devices. Production of the first LRIP aircraft will begin later this year at Boeing’s Renton facility near Seattle.

“In 2004, the US Navy and Boeing made a commitment to deliver the next generation maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to support a 2013 Initial Operational Capability (IOC),” Captain Mike Moran, PMA 290 program manager, said. “This contract and these aircraft keep that commitment on track.”

Three of the six flight test aircraft built as part of the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract awarded to Boeing in 2004 are in various stages of testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. The Integrated Test Team has conducted sonobuoy releases and counter measures deployments. Recently, one of two static test planes completed full scale testing on the P-8A airframe. The first static test aircraft underwent 154 different tests with no failure of the primary structure. The second aircraft will begin fatigue testing this year.

The US Navy plans to purchase 117 production P-8A aircraft to replace its P-3 Fleet. IOC is planned for 2013 at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. The RAAF also plans to acquire around 9 P-8s to replace some of its 18 AP-3C Orion patrol aircraft, with an IOC between 2017 and 2020.