Boeing delivers 1st P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to Norway.

According to a press release published by Boeing on November 18, 2021, the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) accepted the first of five Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft that will be operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF).
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P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft (Picture source: Aviationwire)

Norway's first P-8A aircraft, named Vingtor, was delivered to the NDMA during a ceremony at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington.

The milestone comes four years after the NDMA entered into an agreement with the U.S. Navy for the P-8A, and two years before the new aircraft are scheduled to begin taking over maritime patrol duties in Norway’s high north.

Norway’s four remaining aircraft are all in advanced stages of production and will be delivered to the NDMA in 2022. The five P-8As will replace the RNoAF current fleet of six P-3 Orions and two DA-20 Jet Falcons and will be operated by 333 Squadron at Evenes Air Station.

Norwegian companies Nammo, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Andoya Space and Berget currently have agreements with Boeing that are part of a tailored industrial cooperation plan related to Norway’s acquisition of five P-8A aircraft. Boeing continues to work with the NDMA and Norwegian industry to expand that plan and support economic growth throughout Norway.

The delivery to Norway also marks the 142nd P-8 aircraft delivered to global customers, including the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Indian Navy, and the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. First deliveries to New Zealand, Korea, and Germany will take place in 2022, 2023, and 2024 respectively.

To date, the global operating P-8 fleet has amassed more than 400,000 mishap-free flight hours. The P-8 is long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations. In addition, the P-8 performs humanitarian and search and rescue missions around the globe.

The P-8A can be armed with torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons. The Harpoon also called AGM-84 called is an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile, developed and manufactured by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing Defense, Space & Security). It gives the Poseidon the ability to challenge enemy naval movements, either in support of offensive operations or in order to defend friendly forces.