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2021-08-01

Germany Adds P-8A Poseidon to its Fleet

Recently, the German Ministry of Defense signed a letter of offer and acceptance for five Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft under the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. With this order, Germany becomes the eighth customer of the multi-mission maritime surveillance aircraft, joining the U.S., Australia, India, UK, Norway, Korea, and New Zealand.

“Boeing is honoured to provide Germany with the world’s most capable maritime surveillance aircraft,” said Michael Hostetter, Boeing Defense, Space & Security vice president in Germany. “We will continue to work with the U.S. government, the German government and industry to establish a robust sustainment package that will ensure the German Navy’s P-8A fleet is mission ready.”

The P-8A Poseidon is designed to meet the full range of maritime challenges faced by European nations. Deployed around the world with more than 130 aircraft in service, and over 300,000 collective flight hours, the P-8A is vital for global anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and search-and-rescue operations.

“Bringing this capability to Germany is not possible without the contributions of German industry,” said Dr Michael Haidinger, president of Boeing Germany, Central & Eastern Europe, Benelux, and the Nordics. “With the P-8A, we will expand our collaboration with German companies, create new jobs and contribute to long-term local economic growth.”

German companies that already supply parts for the P-8A include Aljo Aluminum-Bau Jonischeit GmbH and Nord-Micro GmbH. Recently, Boeing signed agreements with ESG Elektroniksystem-und Logistik-GmbH and Lufthansa Technik to collaborate in systems integration, training, support, and sustainment work. By working with local suppliers, Boeing will provide support, training and maintenance solutions that will bring the highest operational availability to fulfil the German Navy’s missions.

P-8: A Proven System

The Boeing P-8 is a maritime patrol aircraft, excelling at anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and search and rescue. The P-8 can fly higher (up to 41,000 ft) and get to the fight faster (490 knots). Shorter transit times reduce the size of the Area of Probability when searching for submarines, surface vessels or search and rescue survivors. P-8 is also designed for low altitude missions and has supported several humanitarian and search and rescue missions. The P-8’s performance and reliability deliver confidence in an uncertain world — in any condition, anywhere, anytime.

The P-8 is a collaboration between Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The Boeing teams work together from start to finish to bring this aircraft to the warfighter.

The P-8 is a military derivative of the Boeing 737 Next-Generation airplane, which means assembly begins in a Boing Commercial Airplanes factory. After the P-8 receives a new coat of paint, it heads from the commercial factory to a defence factory. That’s where the P-8 receives the defence systems that make it a multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft.

More than 100 P-8 are in service worldwide and have flown over 300,000 hours. All were assembled in Puget Sound, U.S.

The P-8 has two variants: The P-8I, flown by the Indian Navy, and the P-8A Poseidon, flown by the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, and the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force.

The aircraft shares 86 per cent commonality with the commercial 737NG, providing supply chain economies of scale in production and support. Boeing’s expertise in commercial fleet management and derivative aircraft sustainment provides customers with greater availability at a lower operational cost. The P-8 is engineered for 25 years/25,000 hours in the harshest maritime flight regimes, including extended operations in icing environments.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures, and services commercial airplanes, defence products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability, and community impact. Furthermore, in a company statement, Boeing has stressed that its diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and fulfilling the company’s core values of safety, quality, and integrity.

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