MPA options pitch up at RIAT
As final preparations for the Royal International Air Tattoo are made, the aerospace industry’s heavy hitters are lining up with MPA and MSA alternatives to meet the expected UK requirement ahead of the SDSR later this year.
Confirmed as attending are the Boeing P-8, the P-1 (pictured, photo credit RIAT) from Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), Textron AirLand’s Scorpion multi-role jet, and Airbus Military’s C-295. The UK has been without a functioning MPA since the cancellation of the Nimrod MR4 programme in 2010.
Boeing’s P8 Poseidon, derived from the commercial 737 airliner, has long been touted as a potential option
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Is the US Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative achievable?]()
Is the US Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative achievable?
The effort to provide the US Navy with Trump-class battleships might face financial, production and doctrinal obstacles.
-
![How will SAFE shape naval procurement for Canada and its highest-receiving members?]()
How will SAFE shape naval procurement for Canada and its highest-receiving members?
Canada’s inclusion on the EU’s Security Action for Europe initiative is set to enhance the country’s defence procurement strategy with important implications for some of its naval programmes, while Poland and Romania have also secured significant SAFE funding.
-
![Thales wins DE&S contract for portable autonomous command centres]()
Thales wins DE&S contract for portable autonomous command centres
The agreement to provide portable autonomous command centres to the UK Royal Navy will enhance the service’s Mine Counter Measure operations and further integrate autonomous and uncrewed systems into its fleet.
-
![Maritime defence in the Mediterranean faces challenges from vulnerable land power]()
Maritime defence in the Mediterranean faces challenges from vulnerable land power
As an indispensable energy crossroads, the Mediterranean is at serious risk from grey zone disruption. As navies increasingly employ AI data centres, what happens when cutting-edge defence technologies rely on the very infrastructure most susceptible to hybrid tactics?
