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The Navy has now ordered 37 of the 117 P-8As it is
expected to buy. To date, 10 have been delivered. Based on the Boeing
Next-Generation 737-800 commercial airplane, the P-8 provides anti-submarine,
anti-surface warfare as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
capabilities. The P-8 is replacing the Navy’s P-3 aircraft.
“We’re on budget and on schedule and the Navy will stand
up initial operational capability of this transformational aircraft
by the end of the year,” said Rick Heerdt, Boeing vice president
and P-8 program manager.
“This new contract award will continue to deliver aircraft to
the fleet squadrons scheduled to receive their initial batch of P-8As
on cost, schedule and performance parameters in accordance with the
approved Acquisition Program Baseline,” said Capt. Scott Dillon,
the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office’s
program manager.
Boeing assembles P-8As in the same facility where it builds all its
737s. The Poseidon team uses a first-in-industry in-line process that
takes advantage of the efficiencies in the Next-Generation 737 production
system. After initial assembly, the P-8A aircraft enter a separate mission
system installation and checkout facility for final modifications and
testing.
Initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) was completed in
March; the Navy announced July 1 that the P-8A program had passed IOT&E
and the P-8A was ready for fleet introduction.
Boeing’s industry team includes CFM International, Northrop Grumman,
Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems, BAE Systems and GE Aviation.
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