Boeing Starts Building US Navy's P-8A Anti-Submarine Airplane

Boeing reports that it has started production on the first fuselage for the United States Navy's P-8A anti-submarine, anti-shipping plane, based on the design of the 737.

Current aircraft of this type do not deploy their own weapons. Their role is intelligence gathering and directing other ships and airplanes to the site of conflict.

The P-8A is expected to find enemy submarines and shipping, monitor them, and, if conflict arises, help to destroy them with its own weapons systems: torpedoes, depth charges, mines, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles. It will be able to coordinate other naval ships in the attack, and it will be able to control pilotless drones to extend its already substantial abilities.

The fuselage was fitted into its holding fixture at the Spirit AeroSystems Wichita, Kansas plant. Boeing employees and Navy personnel were on hand.

The P-8A is called the Poseidon.

The purely testing phase is over and actual production of planes has begun. That does not mean, however, that testing will cease. On the contrary, the early planes are being produced to be put through their paces: three flight test planes and two ground-test planes are being built.

Ultimately, Boeing will sell the Navy 108 Poseidon's to replace the aging P-3C fleet. The new planes should be operational by 2013, and revolutionize the way that the Navy conducts operations.

The planes will have an operational life of 30 million flight hours for their CFM56-7 engines. The plane has been fitted with extra fuel tanks to extend its range, the exact range being classified. The wings have hardened pods to secure weapons. Inside, Poseidon will be packed with electronic warfare equipment to help itself hide from enemy planes and jam radars, among other things. It will be far out at sea but can also handle littoral combat situations.