P-8A Poseidon arrives in Australia
The first P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has arrived in the country from Boeing’s Seattle, Washington, facility. The aircraft was welcomed by the air force at a ceremony on 16 November.
This is the first of fifteen P-8A aircraft the government committed to acquiring in the 2016 Defence White Paper. Twelve are already contracted to be delivered by March 2020.
The aircraft will provide maritime surveillance and anti-submarine capabilities around the nation’s coastline and maritime approaches.
It will operate alongside up to seven MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft (still to be procured) to provide an advanced maritime surveillance capability to replace the ageing AP-3C Orion platform.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement]()
What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
-
![Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration]()
Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration
The UK Royal Navy’s rapid procurement of uncrewed platforms aligns with the force’s strategic shift towards a fleet better equipped to handle modern threats.
-
![HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment]()
HMS Anson’s milestone stay in Australia cut short during AUKUS deployment
The Astute-class submarine’s visit to Australia was the first time maintenance activity on a UK Royal Navy nuclear submarine had been carried out in the country.
-
![How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China]()
How Operation Epic Fury could reduce US readiness to face China
The offensive against Iran could impact training and maintenance cycles and accelerate the degradation of the US arsenal on top of depleting Washington’s stockpiles.
-
![UK Royal Navy explores modular counter-drone capabilities for future hybrid fleet]()
UK Royal Navy explores modular counter-drone capabilities for future hybrid fleet
The UK MoD is scoping out systems to counter the growing threat of uncrewed aerial systems, with a focus on low-cost modularity and speed to field.
