U.S.
Navy is asking the Boeing Co. in Seattle to upgrade electronic warfare (EW) subsystems
in the P-8A Poseidon Multi-Mission Maritime aircraft to overcome obsolescence
issues -- ever before the new maritime patrol jet is deployed to active-duty
Navy flight squadrons.
Officials
of U.S. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station Md.,
awarded Boeing an $8.5 million contract Thursday to update the electronic
support measures (ESM) sensor digital measurement unit of the P-8A to ensure
the EW components are not obsolete by the time the aircraft is widely fielded.
The
P-8A, a military variant of the Boeing 737 jetliner, first flew in 2009, and
was approved for low-rate production the following year. The first production
version of the aircraft was handed over to the Navy last March. Initial
operating capability of the P-8A is not expected until next year.
Obsolescence
in new weapon systems is a common problem among U.S. Department of Defense
major systems that can take years, if not decades, to design, manufacture, and
deploy.
ESM
involves search, interception, identification, and location of enemy radar or
radio communications. Other onboard EW systems then can jam or avoid the enemy
radio signals. The Northrop Grumman Corp. Electronic Systems segment in
Linthicum, Md., is in charge of the P-8 EW systems.
Northrop
Grumman is supplying the P-8's electronic warfare self-protection (EWSP) suite,
which includes the Terma AN/ALQ-213(V) electronic warfare management system
(EWMS), directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) set, radar warning system,
and BAE Systems countermeasures dispenser. Just this month the Northrop Grumman
ESM system for the P-8A was officially designated
Ultimately,
the Navy plans to buy 108 P-8A aircraft from Boeing to replace the service’s
fleet of 196 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, which are approaching the end
of operational life. The P-3 is a version of the Lockheed Martin Electra
four-engine turboprop aircraft.
The P-8A
is a specially hardened and reinforced version of the Boeing 737 passenger jet,
and is designed to operate at extremely low altitudes over the ocean during
close-in searches for potentially hostile submarines. The P-8A is designed to
withstand the rigors of low-altitude turbulence and exposure to salt spray.
The
Boeing P-8A Poseidon, a Navy version of the 737 jetliner, will replace the P-3
Orion for long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare.
The
Boeing P-8A Poseidon, a Navy version of the 737 jetliner, will replace the P-3
Orion for long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare.
Navy
officials plan to use the P-8A in tandem with the Northrop Grumman RQ-4N Broad
Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) -- a
maritime-patrol version of the Global Hawk long-range surveillance UAV. Plans call
for using BAMS to detect potentially hostile submarines and surface ships, and
upon detection, to call in the P-8A to take a closer look or to attack hostile
vessels with torpedoes and missiles.
Boeing
will build the Poseidon aircraft at its factory in Renton, Wash. The 737
fuselage and tail sections will be built by Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita,
Kan., then transferred to Renton where all structural features will be
incorporated in sequence during fabrication and assembly.
The
P-8A’s flight management system and the stores management system have been
developed by GE Aviation Systems in Grand Rapids, Mich. (formerly Smiths
Aerospace). The cabin has as many as seven operator consoles.
The
Poseidon’s MX-20HD digital electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) multi-spectral
sensor turrets come from L-3 Communications Wescam in Burlington, Ontario. The
MX-20HD is gyro-stabilized and can have as many as seven sensors, including
infrared, CCDTV, image intensifier, laser rangefinder, and laser illuminator.
The aircraft
has the upgraded APS-137D(V)5 maritime surveillance radar and signals
intelligence (SIGINT) system from the Raytheon Co. Space and Airborne Systems
(SAS) segment in McKinney, Texas.
The
APS-137D(V)5 radar, which is installed on the P-8’s enlarged nose fairing,
provides synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for imaging stationary ships and small
vessels, coastal and overland surveillance, and high-resolution imaging
synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) for imaging surfaced submarines and fast
surface vessels operating in coastal waters.
The P-8A
will have the CAE Inc. advanced integrated magnetic anomaly detection (MAD)
system. The Navy plans to arm the P-8A with the MK 54 torpedo.
Boeing
will supervise most of the work under the current contract at Northrop Grumman
in Linthicum, Md. Boeing will do other work on the contract in Seattle, and
should be finished with the job in April 2015.
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