P-8A Poseidon - Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA), USA

In June 2004, the United States Navy announced the selection of the Boeing Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft, 737 MMA, and awarded a contract to Boeing for the system development and demonstration phase of the program for the US Navy's next-generation maritime surveillance aircraft. The aircraft was given the designation P-8A in March 2005.

It is planned that up to 108 P-8A Poseidon aircraft are to be purchased by the Navy to replace the fleet of 196 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, which are approaching the end of operational life.

It is planned that up to 108 P-8A MMA aircraft are to be purchased by the Navy to replace the fleet of 196 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft which are approaching the end of operational life.

The US Navy started a two-year requirement study in 1997 for the replacement of the navy's P-3C Orion, and the Defense Acquisition Board initiated a number of concept studies during the period 2000 to 2002.

An assessment of the proposals by the USN led to contracts being placed on Boeing and on Lockheed Martin in 2002 for the Component Advanced Development phase.

Boeing submitted proposals based on the 737-700 aircraft and Lockheed Martin's proposal was based on the Orion 21, a new version of the P3. The industrial team led by Boeing includes Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Smiths Industries, CFM International, GE Aviation and Spirit AeroSystems.

Boeing constructed a 737 BBJ2 (Boeing Business Jet) technology demonstrator aircraft to demonstrate the aircraft and on-board systems capabilities. Two functional mission system consoles were installed on the aircraft. In December 2003, the aircraft completed a tour of US Navy bases and Naval Air Stations in Brunswick, Maine, Jacksonville, Florida, Norfolk, Virginia, Kaneohe, Hawaii, and Whidbey Island, Washington.

The demonstrations included maximum power take-off and climb to 12,500m (41,000ft), manual reversion manoeuvres with no hydraulics, maximum rate of descent at over 3,050m/min (10,000ft/min), tactical manoeuvres at an altitude of 200ft, simulated single engine manoeuvres and performance landing achieving a stopping distance of less than 610m (2,000ft).

The selection of the Boeing 737 MMA was announced in July 2004 with the contract award covering the manufacture of five trial aircraft over the next eight years. One aircraft each is to be allocated for airworthiness tests, static tests and fatigue tests, and two aircraft for testing the mission systems.

The Preliminary Design Review (PDR) was successfully completed in November 2005. Critical design review was completed in July 2007. Boeing began production of the first of five test aircraft in December 2007. The first flight of the P-8A is due in March 2009. Full-scale production at a rate of 12 to 18 aircraft a year is planned to commence in 2012. The planned Initial Operational Capability (IOC) date is 2013.

In July 2007, the Australian Government was given 'first pass approval' to participate in the cooperative development of the P-8A Poseidon. The P-8A would replace the Royal Australian Navy's fleet of P-3C Orion aircraft.

DESIGN

The aircraft design is based on the proven fuselage of the 737-800 and the wings of the 737-900. The P-8A aircraft has increased gross weight capability compared to the 737-800.

In June 2005, Boeing announced that the design of the P-8A's wingtips has been changed from the blended winglet to a backswept wingtip. In June 2006, Stork Aerospace of the Netherlands was awarded the contract for manufacture of the backswept (or raked) wingtips.

The internal weapons bay is installed beneath the forward section of the fuselage. The 737-900-style wings are constructed with hardpoints for carrying air-to-surface missiles.

The 737 MMA will be assembled at the Boeing production facility in Renton, Washington. The 737 fuselage and tail sections will be built by Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas, then transferred to Renton where all the unique 737 MMA aircraft structural features will be incorporated in sequence during fabrication and assembly.

The quality and performance acceptance flight testing of the aircraft will be conducted from Renton Field and final installations and checkout of the mission system and special flight test instrumentation will be conducted at the Boeing Field. The aircraft will then ferry to Naval Air Station at Patuxent River, Maryland, for flight test.

COCKPIT

The flight management system and the stores management system has been developed by Smiths Aerospace. The Smiths Aerospace flight management system is based on an integrated open architecture will be compatible with the installation of future upgrade systems.

MISSION PAYLOAD

The cabin is fitted with up to seven operator consoles.

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems in Baltimore has developed the aircraft's electro-optical and infrared sensors.

The aircraft is equipped with the upgraded APS-137D(V)5 maritime surveillance radar and signal intelligence SIGINT system developed by Raytheon. The system was redesignated AN/APY-10 in June 2006. The AN/APY-10 radar is installed on the enlarged nose fairing.

The AN/APY-10 radar provides Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) mode capability for imaging, detection, classification and identification of stationary ships and small vessels and for coastal and overland surveillance, and high resolution Imaging Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) mode for imaging, detection, classification and tracking of surfaced submarines and small, fast moving vessels that operate in coastal waters.

The SAR provides multiple resolution strip map and spot SAR operation, and allows high resolution for target identification, battle damage assessment and for weapons targeting.

Periscope detection uses high scan speeds, high pulse repetition frequency, high resolution mode with advanced sea clutter rejection.

Raytheon is offering the new global positioning system anti-jam, integrated friend or foe and towed decoy self protection suites along with a Broadcast Information System (BIS) and secure UHF satellite communications.

The P-8A will also be fitted with the CAE Advanced Integrated Magnetic Anomaly Detection (MAD) System.

The aircraft will carry a rotary sonobuoy launcher with pneumatic ejection, being developed by EDO Corporation.

The data links are being developed by Northrop Grumman Information Technology Division in Herndon, Virginia,

WEAPONS

The integral bomb bay will carry free-fall bombs, Raytheon Mark 54 torpedoes and depth charges. Air-to-surface missiles will be installed on the underwing hardpoints.

COUNTERMEASURES

Northrop Grumman is supplying the Electronic Warfare Self-Protection (EWSP) suite which includes Terma AN/ALQ-213(V) Electronic Warfare Management System (EWMS), Northrop Grumman Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) set, Northrop Grumman radar warning system and BAE Systems countermeasures dispenser system.

PERFORMANCE

The aircraft can cruise at high altitude at nearly 926km/hr (500kt) and loiter at a speed of 333km/hr (180kt) over the sea at a low altitude of 60m.

ENGINES

The aircraft has two CFM International CFM56-7B27A high-bypass turbofan engines, each rated at 120kN.

The same model CFM56-7 engines power the Boeing 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) Aircraft, in production for Australia and Turkey, and the US Navy's C-40 Clipper transport. The engine has logged more than 30 million flight hours and maintains a proven high reliability figure of merit of 0.003% in-flight shut down rate per 1,000 hours of flight.

Additional fuel tanks are installed in the aft baggage hold providing a total maximum fuel capacity of 34,096kg.

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