Australian P-8A makes maiden flight
The first Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon aircraft has successfully completed its maiden flight, the Australian Department of Defence announced on 25 May.
The aircraft flew from Renton Airfield, Washington, to Boeing Field where will be fitted with mission systems as part of Australia’s project AIR 7000.
The P-8A will replace the RAAF’s in-service AP-3C Orion fleet. Its primary roles will include detection and response of submarine and surface threats, search and rescue support and surveillance and reconnaissance.
A RAAF crew will fly the P-8A from the US to Australia in late 2016 after post-production tests and acceptance.
The aircraft has a length of 39.5m, maximum take-off weight of 85.82 tonnes, wingspan of 37.6m, maximum range of 7,500km and top speed of 907kmph.
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