Boeing P 8 Poseidon

Boeing Wednesday [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] this photo of workers completing installation of an APY-10 radar antenna on P-8A Poseidon test aircraft T2 last month at the Boeing Developmental Center in Seattle.
Following completion of the next phase of radar installation and additional instrumentation, T2 will enter the U.S. Navy's flight test program in early 2010, Boeing said. Boeing's team is building and testing five Poseidon anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft.

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] expects to fly its first P-8 multi-mission maritime aircraft to a US Navy test site in the third quarter of this year, following a fresh schedule delay.
Director of business development for airborne battle management Tim Norgart says development aircraft T1 and T2 are now in Seattle undergoing flight tests, and that the first will to be moved to NAS Patuxent River in six months.
Boeing had planned to ferry the test aircraft to the Maryland site last September, and then delayed the event until the first quarter of this year. Norgart says both aircraft could be moved sooner, but that the USN needs more time to prepare its test facilities.

The USN plans to order 117 of the 737-based type, while Boeing is also working to sell a P-8I version to the Indian navy.

Speaking at the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], Norgart revealed that the company is "in the process of integrating an aft radar" with the P-8 to meet Indian requirements for 360° coverage and an air-to-air surveillance capability.
The work is being conducted with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which already provides the APY-10 radar for the P-8. The nose-mounted sensor currently provides a coverage of 240°.

Boeing completes weapons vibration tests on Poseidon

Boeing successfully completed stores (weapons) ground vibration testing on a P-8A Poseidon test aircraft Feb. 5 in Seattle, the company announced Monday.
The month-long series of tests included 18 different weapons configurations, with external shakers inducing vibration of the aircraft's wings, stabilizer and weapons to verify the stores' effect on the P-8A's fuselage. The tests will provide data to validate aircraft performance predictions before flight testing planned for later this year at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
The test aircraft "responded as predicted throughout the rigorous set of tests," Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice president and P-8 program manager, said in a news release. "This is a major milestone for the team and paves the way for in-flight testing and verification of the P-8A's weapons capabilities."
The 737-based P-8A is an anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. The U.S. Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8As, with initial operational capability is planned for 2013.

Second P-8A Moves To Pax River Testing Site

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Boeing has shifted the second P-8A to the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., to support the U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft’s development program, and the company also is finishing up work on the third and final flight test aircraft.
The second P-8A, designated T-2, is the first with the primary mission system. The aircraft, which first flew with the mission equipment installed on June 8, was shifted to Pax River on June 19.
Prior to that it already underwent system checkout during a mission operating alongside a U.S. Navy P-3 based at Whidbey Island, Wash., according to Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice president in charge of the project.
Flight trials with T-3 are due to begin in the third quarter. The aircraft also will be used for mission system testing, but the key role will be weapons certification. The P-8A is to carry torpedoes and the Boeing-built Standoff Land Attack Missile – Expanded Response.
Dabundo says that the program remains “in good shape” to meet the late 2013 initial operational capability (IOC) target the Navy has set. Reaching IOC will involve six aircraft to be bought under the first low-rate initial production contract, as well as availability of aircraft T4-6, which will be used to train personnel (deliveries of those three aircraft are planned for the second, third and fourth quarter of next year).
Meanwhile, the Navy is finalizing plans for the increment 2 aircraft (also called spiral 1) for upgrades to the P-8A that would be introduced in 2016. The enhancements will center on expanding the acoustic capabilities of the submarine-hunting aircraft. Australia is involved in the dialogue as part of the country’s discussions to become the second export customer for the P-8, following India, which is buying eight P-8Is. Another upgrade, increment three (or Spiral 2), would follow in 2019.
Next month Boeing and India plan to conduct the final design review. First-aircraft construction would begin in the fourth quarter, with deliveries to India to start in 2012. The Indian aircraft features a few differences from the P-8A, including a magnetic anomaly detector, second sea-search radar to provide 360 deg. coverage (Boeing has selected, but not identified the supplier), and air-to-air search capabilities.

P-8A Poseidon: A New Model For Military Procurement

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

The Navy is developing a military version of the widely used Boeing 737 airliner to serve as its next-generation maritime patrol aircraft. Designated the P-8A Poseidon, the land-based jet will perform anti-submarine, anti-surface and intelligence-gathering missions for the joint force once it becomes operational in 2013.

Poseidon will replace the propeller-driven P-3Orion, which is rapidly approaching the end of its service life. The new plane will be considerably more capable than its Cold War predecessor, enabling the Navy to cover more ocean faster with a smaller fleet of aircraft. Poseidon’s onboard combat capabilities are the most advanced in the world, combining state-of-the-art sensing with precision weapons and comprehensive connectivity to the rest of the joint force.

The Poseidon program has made steady progress through development and testing into low-rate production. The plane is being built using an innovative acquisition strategy that facilitates continuous upgrades to capabilities as threats evolve. Because Poseidon is based on the most popular commercial airframe-engine combination in the world, it is easier to operate and maintain around the world than a purely military plane would be.

In 2009, the government of India committed to buying eight of the planes to protect its 5,000-mile coastline and littoral waters. Other countries likely to consider purchases include Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and South Korea. Variants of Poseidon may also be adapted to other military missions by the United States, since the aircraft is intrinsically versatile and is well-suited to many overland missions beyond its primary maritime role.

Dr. Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute staff has written a report on the P-8A Poseidon as part of the institute’s continuing inquiry into technology and industrial trends bearing upon national security.

To download the full report, click here: [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (PDF 643KB, 16 pages).[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Boeing Sees Big Special-Mission 737 Market

Boeing sees a potential market for more than 150 special-mission 737 military aircraft derived from either the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft or Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft.
The focus is largely on missions currently using C-130, P-3 or 707-based aircraft, which “are getting old,” says Bob Feldmann, Boeing vice president and general manager for surveillance and engagement.
One part of the effort is expanding the customer base for existing products, with the United Arab Emirates, India and Japan seen as potential buyers of a Wedgetail-type aircraft on top of the sales of six of the type to Australia, and four each to South Korea and Turkey. Boeing sees a market for more than 15 of such aircraft. South Korea is to receive its first aircraft this year and Turkey next year.
For the P-8, where the U.S. Navy is committed to 117 aircraft and India eight, Feldmann says Australia, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Norway and Italy could lead to sales of more than 75 units. Furthermore, Feldmann says “we know that U.S. Navy and [U.K.] are having some discussions.” The talks right now are government to government.
Another thrust is taking on new missions. Among those is serving as a replacement of the EC-130 Compass Call communications jammer, the WC-135 Constant Phoenix atmospheric sampling aircraft, or the open skies aircraft.
Although the Compass Call mission as currently performed seems an ill fit for a 737, Feldmann argues that “Compass Call of yesterday may not be Compass Call of tomorrow,” suggesting the mission could evolve.
Replacing Navy special-mission P-3s and the U.S. Air Force RC-135 Rivet Joint signals intelligence aircraft are also on the drawing board. The company projects a market for more than 50 such aircraft. “None of those are in a proposal stage,” Feldmann concedes.
Perhaps the nearest-term opportunity is the Airborne Ground Surveillance application, where Boeing wants the 737 to replace the 707-based Joint Stars. The U.S. Air Force is conducting an analysis of alternatives into the mission area. Feldmann argues that the 737 path would provide big savings in terms of logistics support and fuel burn. The market is projected at more than 15 aircraft.

Boeing flies first production P-8A Poseidon

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Boeing first production P-8A Poseidon completed its first flight on July 7, Boeing announced Tuesday.
The U.S. Navy plans to purchase 117 [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-800-based P-8As to replace the P-3 Orion as its primary maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.
The airplane took off from Renton Municipal Airport, beside Boeing’s 737 final assembly plant, and landed three hours later at Seattle’s Boeing Field, where Boeing instals military systems in the aircraft.
Boeing is scheduled to deliver the plane to the Navy next year, with operations set to start in 2013.
“This is the first P-8 that will go directly to the fleet in Jacksonville, Fla., so the aircraft’s first flight is an important milestone for the Boeing team and our Navy customer,” Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice president and P-8 program manager, said in a news release.
Boeing is building six flight-test P-8As and two ground-test aircraft under a separate contract. The first four flight-test aircraft are completing testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.

Publié par [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]

Le Boeing P-8I, appareil de patrouille maritime, de lutte anti-navires et anti-sous-marine, développé par le constructeur
américain à la demande de l’Indian Navy, a effectué son premier vol de 2h31 le 28 septembre de Renton Filed à la zone d’essai de Boeing à Seattle.

A l’occasion de ce vol inaugural, les pilotes et les ingénieurs de l’avionneur américain se sont livrés à une série de vérifications en vol concernant les moteurs, l’accélération, la décélération mais aussi différents modes du pilote automatique. L’avion à notamment atteint l’altitude de 41 000 pieds (environ 13 700 mètres).

Le contrat passé entre la marine indienne et Boeing porte sur la commande de huit exemplaires fermes du P-8I et sur quatre exemplaires en option.

Les premières livraisons sont prévues à l’horizon 2013.

Le P-8I est une variante du P-8A Poseidon, basée sur la cellule du 737NG.

Les Américains ont du faire quelques concessions sur les améliorations à porter sur le P-8I destiné aux Indiens, notamment en installant un radar de surveillance additionnel APS-143C(V) Multi-Mode, fournit par Telephonics. Ce radar vient compléter la zone de balayage du Raytheon APY-10 situé en pointe avant.

Ce dernier à d’ailleurs été doté d’un mode air-air et Being a, en outre, procédé à l’intégration d’un détecteur d’anomalies magnétiques dont on aperçoit l’antenne à la base de la dérive de l’avion.

Pour la lutte anti-navires, le P-8I sera capable d’embarquer trois missiles Harpoon sous voilure, un quatrième point d’emport étatn réservé au pod de liaison de données du missile.

L’U.S. Navy bénéficiera, quant à elle, du missile Slam-ER, capable d’atteindre des cibles terrestres, sur leur exemplaire du P-8I.

Durant les semaines à venir, Boeing procèdera à l’installation des systèmes opérationnels sur ce premier aéronef.