P-8A Poseidon for RAAF ordered
The US Navy has ordered 13 Full-Rate Production (FRP) Lot 2 P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Boeing Defense in a nearly $1.5 billion contract, it was announced on 27 August.
Of the aircraft, nine will join the US fleet and four will enter into service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a P-8A joint programme partner since 2009. The contract includes an option to purchase another 20 aircraft under FRP Lot 3, of which 16 will go the US Navy and four to the RAAF.
The four aircraft for the RAAF will be the first P-8A Poseidon aircraft delivered to Australia. The aircraft will replace the RAAF’s ageing P-3C Orion fleet, with the first scheduled to be delivered in the autumn of 2016.
Capt Scott Dillon, maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft program office (PMA-290) program manager, said: ‘The RAAF and US Navy have long been partners in maritime patrol. Australia’s parallel transition from P-3C to P-8A will maximise interoperability while both forces continue to receive the benefits of a highly cost effective, highly reliable and persistent aircraft.’
Wg Cdr David Houghton, PMA-290 P-8A joint program office lead, said: ‘Through the P-8A cooperative programme partnership, Australia is acquiring an affordable, state-of-the-art capability that will support Australia’s maritime security well into the future, leveraging the combined expertise and experience of the US Navy, RAAF and Boeing.’
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits]()
US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
