Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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Little h
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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Local news has got it's act together

BBC NEWS
NE Scotland, Orkney & Shetland

RAF takes delivery of Lossiemouth's first submarine hunter


_109459549_peightthree BBC news.jpg
Paul Christian Gordon/Boeing
Image caption A fleet of P-8A Poseidons are to be operated from an RAF station in Scotland


The RAF has taken delivery of the first of nine new maritime patrol aircraft.

The fleet of P-8A Poseidons are to be stationed at RAF Lossiemouth on the Moray coast.

Boeing is constructing the P-8As in the US and the first of the completed planes was officially handed over to the RAF in a ceremony in Seattle.

An RAF crew will soon begin training in the use of the aircraft at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida before it is flown to Lossiemouth next year.

The RAF's 120 Squadron will use the aircraft in a submarine hunter role.

A new facility for the P-8As is being built at Lossiemouth at a cost of £132m.

The UK's last dedicated maritime patrol planes flew out of RAF Kinloss, about 14 miles (22km) from Lossiemouth, in 2010.

In 2015, Canadian and French maritime patrol aircraft crews assisted the RAF and Royal Navy in searches off Scotland's north coast after reports of a Russian submarine being spotted.
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Little h
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Little h
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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Been looking for other images of Poseidon MRA Mk1 No ZP801 'Spirit of Moray' and thought I'd spotted her with an additional marking that was indicative of her global sphere of operations(?) under/near the stbd roundel aft, see:-
EIA6C2eVAAAdrfL twitter woody's aeroimages.jpg


.... but alas it's a 'my-oh-my' moment and ..... "What A Mistaka To Maka" :oops: 'tis naught but the watermark/stamp - a part of Woodys Aeroimages copyright; sorry Woody/Chris I'll have to claim fair use on this occasion.

A very nice cluster of images nonetheless and a variant of that 'globe' would really look nice on the aircraft IMO ;)
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Little h
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Little h
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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Cross reference:

See recent post in the 'RN Aircraft Carriers: HMS Queen Elizabeth' thread, Royal Navy forum, relating to 'Spirit of Moray' ZP801 and possible involvement in Westlant 19
Little h
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Little h
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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The aircraft will also be armed with Harpoon anti-surface ship missiles

NavyLookout
‏[urlhttps://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1189901562178605057] @NavyLookout[/url]
2h2 hours ago

Official MoD statement on RAF Poseidon P-8A says "The aircraft will also be armed with Harpoon anti-surface ship missiles”

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/firs ... to-the-raf
EINg7VWW4AAiLUc.jpg


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


US-made Mk54 ASW torpedos instead of the Sting Ray in RN service.


NavyLookout
‏ [urlhttps://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1189902606212173824]@NavyLookout[/url]
2h2 hours ago

To save integration cost RAF Poseidons will be armed with US-made Mk54 ASW torpedos instead of the Sting Ray in RN service.

To deliver torpedo from altitude the High Altitude Anti-submarine warfare Weapon Capability (HAAWC) glider kit has been developed

https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/restor ... ty-part-2/
EINiDYHWwAEtCeJ.jpg

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


processors/dispenser not fully compatible with UK sonobuoys, so US stocks will have to be acquired

NavyLookout
‏ @NavyLookout
2h2 hours ago

Poseidon processors/dispenser not fully compatible with UK sonobuoys, so US stocks will have to be acquired. The UK will have 2 parallel inventories of, sonobuoys & torpedos. But there may be some operational advantages of commonality with US equipment

https://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/restor ... ty-part-2/
EINi65DXYAA1wCz.jpg large.jpg
__________________________________________________________________________________________________


So that's the aircraft; training; sonobuoys; torpedoes & harpoons (and gawd knows what else) .... I wonder who got the best out of this deal (again) :oops: That's what happens when you've run down your defences forces so much ... you become one of the beggars - and no longer a chooser :(

Open the links (above the attachments) to read the articles some of which give the 'rationale' for it all - here is an excerpt:-

It is clear from MoD statements that the UK will be buying the P-8A directly “off the shelf” with no modifications and no plan to integrate UK weapons. The platform has successfully evolved in a series of increments, with capabilities added over time. The UK will get aircraft fitted to Increment 3 standards, identical to those being delivered to the US Navy. Initially, the UK will have to purchase a stock of US Mk 54 torpedoes. Performance is classified, but the British-made Stingray Mod 1 Torpedo is probably slightly superior to the Mk 54. Both weapons experienced development problems, but the Stingray is now very mature, while there are still question marks about the Mk 54 in demanding environments.

A British company, Ultra Electronics is the world leader in sonobuoy manufacture and is continues to work with QinetiQ in conducting research and development supporting the Merlin ASW platform. There will be little UK-supplied sonobuoy and acoustic processing input into the P-8A, at least initially. The sonobuoy is a British invention but the P-8A will not benefit from the considerable UK expertise available in this field. The P-8 processors and dispenser are not fully compatible with UK sonobuoys, so US stocks will have to be acquired. The UK will have to support the cost of two parallel inventories of, sonobuoys and torpedos, but there may be some operational advantages of commonality with US equipment. RAF, US and Norwegian P-8As will all be able to share a common pool of stores and spares held RAF Lossiemouth, Keflavik Air Base (Iceland) and other US bases.
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Last edited by Little h on Thu Oct 31, 2019 4:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Little h
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ivorthediver
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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As ever was the case Harry , another thing were told we need when we have our own , and again ( as with initial batch ofChinnocks that sat on the runways for years whilst we haggled over what software was installed :roll:
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
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Little h
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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RAF Lossiemouth
‏Verified account @RAFLossiemouth

One question we are being asked a lot: "When exactly will the 1st @P8A_PoseidonRAF land in the UK?"

We have a date set in early February, but it's heavily dependent on weather!

Ice or strong winds at @Kinloss_Bks or on route could mean we delay.

Safety first! Standby for more.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Alan Paterson
‏ @aenstrop
Jan 19
Replying to @RAFLossiemouth @P8A_PoseidonRAF and 5 others

Will it do a flyby at Lossie before landing at Kinloss?

RAF Lossiemouth
‏Verified account @RAFLossiemouth
Jan 19

Negative. The plan is for it to head straight to @Kinloss_Bks where it will be welcomed by #TeamLossie and invited VIPs!

Fear not! You only have to wait until October until it lands at Lossie for the first time.
EOp5nnhWsAE583M.jpg
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Little h
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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NavyLookout
@NavyLookout
ICYMI The first of the new Poseidon MRA1 maritime patrol aircraft arrived in the UK today at its temporary home at RAF Kinloss.

The RAF will eventually have 9 of these highly capable aircraft based @RAFLossiemouth
finally restoring the vital MPA capability axed in 2010.
EP8R6q9WoAAjMRA.jpg

Open link above to view the other two images and read tweet with link carrying an article relating to the US Poseidon P8, titled:-
Navy To Greatly Expand P-8 Poseidon's Mission With New Missiles, Mines, Bombs, And Decoys
The plan reflects the better part of a decade of debate about expanding the roles and missions of these maritime patrol aircraft.
By Joseph Trevithick February 3, 2020
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Pelican
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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A look at the P-8 Poseidon, Britain’s new submarine hunter
“Nine new Boeing P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft to increase further the protection of our nuclear deterrent and our new aircraft carriers. These aircraft will be based in Scotland and will also have an overland surveillance capability.”

In welcome news for many, the last Strategic Defence and Security review confirmed that the United Kingdom will once again operate an effective maritime patrol aircraft.

The P-8 Poseidon, developed by Boeing, is designed to conduct anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and shipping interdiction, along with an electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) role. This involves carrying torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and other weapons.

The history of the aircraft dates back to June 2004, when the US Navy announced the selection of the Boeing multimission maritime aircraft, 737 MMA, and awarded a contract to Boeing for the system development and demonstration phase of the programme for the US Navy’s next-generation maritime surveillance aircraft. The aircraft was given the designation P-8A in March 2005.

Poseidon contains up to 7 crew computer consoles in its cabin, has an electro-optical and infrared sensor turret, a maritime surveillance radar and signal intelligence system. Its radar is capable of detection, classification and identification of ships, small vessels and surfaced submarines.

It also has coastal surveillance capability meaning that the Poseidon can be used for search and rescue operations.

According to the US Navy, the aircraft in US service carries lightweight Raytheon Mk54 anti-submarine torpedoes. It may also carry other torpedoes, missiles, free-fall bombs, depth charges, mines, or sonbuoys in its weapon bay. Air-to-surface and air-to air missiles, such as Harpoon anti-ship missiles, SLAM or AGM-65 Maverick land attack missiles, and AIM-9 Sidewinders or AIM-120 AMRAAMs will be carried on the underwing hardpoints.

It is expected that up to 117 P-8A MMA aircraft are to be purchased by the US Navy to replace the fleet of 196 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft which are approaching the end of their operational lives. The initial operational capability of P-8A was achieved in November 2013.

In August 2012, it was first reported that Boeing saw the United Kingdom as a market for the P-8, following the cancellation of Nimrod MRA4. After speculation every few months that the UK was going to purchase the aircraft, the UK announced its intention to order nine P-8 aircraft.

P-8 Poseidon Quick Facts, courtesy of Boeing
For the P-8, Boeing uses a first-in-industry in-line production system that leverages the best of Boeing Commercial and Boeing Defense for development and production.
The P-8 can fly up to 41,000 feet and travel up to 490 knots.
P-8 offers higher reliability – the 737 has a 99.8 percent dispatch rate, with more than 4,000 aircraft flying, and 6,600+ orders.
The P-8 is engineered for 25 years/25,000 hours in the harshest maritime flight regimes, including extended operations in icing environments.
The P-8 can fly in all flight regimes, and can self-deploy up to 4,500 miles from base without refueling.
Dual CFM-56B commercial engines each provide 27,000 pounds of thrust, greatly enhancing climb and flight characteristics over turboprop equipped aircraft.
Each engine is equipped with a 180KVA engine driven generator. Combined with the 90KVA commercial APU, this provides 450KVA of power. P-8 possesses significant growth capacity for equipment with excess onboard power and cooling capacity.
P-8 has twice the sonobuoy processing capability and can carry 30 percent more sonobuoys than any maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft currently flying.
P-8 has the ability to control unmanned air vehicles (level 2 control-receive) to extend sensor reach.
P-8 offers commonality with 737 fleet and other military platforms that use the 737 airframe.
The aircraft are to be based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland and be used to protect the UK’s nuclear deterrent and new aircraft carriers. The P-8s are also to perform search-and-rescue missions and conduct overland reconnaissance.


Go to: https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/a-look- ... Fi8CSPZniw
For photos etc.
HMS Pelican 1938 - 1958 GGCV L86 U86 F86 What I Have I Hold ~ A wonderful bird is the Pelican its beak can hold more than its belly can.
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Little h
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

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2nd Poseidon MRA Mk1 - ZP802 “City of Elgin” arrives in UK


NavyLookout
@NavyLookout

The second P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft “City of Elgin” has arrived in the UK
Little h
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Re: Poseidon MRA Mk 1

Unread post by ivorthediver »

Thanks for the heads up Harry , glad your keeping tabs on them mate ;)
"What Ever Floats your Boat"
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