Boeing upgrades Australian P-8A Poseidon MPAs

Australia has awarded Boeing a US$139.5 million contract to upgrade the Royal Australian Air Force’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA). The P-8s will be fitted with Increment 3 Block 2 software, system and sensor upgrades to enhance its anti-submarine warfare (ASW), maritime strike and intelligence-gathering capabilities.

The Australian government committed to purchasing eight MPAs for the RAAF with an option for four more in 2014. Two years later, the DoD announced that the P-8 Poseidon successfully completed its first flight.

Boeing noted that the first two aircraft to undergo the Increment 3 modification would be upgraded in Jacksonville, Florida, with the remainder of the fleet of 12 to be completed by Boeing Defence Australia at RAAF Base Edinburgh, South Australia.

Two new P-8As ordered in 2020 were set to be delivered to the RAAF this year and in 2025, with a provision for the upgrade contract to be extended beyond its 2030 end date to accommodate these two aircraft.

Last month, Boeing announced it had received a $3.4 billion contract to begin manufacturing 14 P-8As for the Royal Canadian Air Force and three additional MPAs for the German Navy.