NAVAIR orders Increment Three retrofits for Poseidon
USN P-8A multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft. (Photo: USN/Richard Stewart)
Work continues on the final increment in the development of the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft.
Boeing is performing a total of 24 Increment Three Block One retrofit modifications for the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, under a $13.54 million contract option from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) in the US.
NAVAIR has also ordered 25 extra retrofit kits from Boeing for existing P8-As, the DoD announced on 1 November.
Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington, and is expected to be completed in December 2023.
The acquisition strategy for the P-8A is designed to deliver baseline capabilities in three increments.
Increment Three comprises four Engineering Change Proposals (ECP); according to the DoD, the final ECP is ‘on track’ to be fielded in FY2025, to provide ‘critical ASW Signals Intelligence (ASW SIGINT), Higher than Secret (HTS) processing, enhanced track management (Minotaur) and an Enhanced Multi-static Active Coherent (MAC-E) ASW capability’.
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