The Latest Maritime Patrol Aircraft for Detecting North Korean Submarines Arrives in South Korea

Maritime Patrol Aircraft-II 'P-8A Poseidon' 3 Units
3 More Units Arrive on the 30th... Handover Ceremony Next Month

The latest maritime patrol aircraft-II 'P-8A Poseidon,' known as the world's best submarine killer, arrived at the Pohang Naval Aviation Command on the 19th with three units.

According to the Navy on this day, since planning to introduce the P-8A in September 2018, six units have been produced by Boeing in the United States until last year. After local acceptance in the U.S. and overseas training for operational personnel, three units arrived first in Korea on this day.

The P-8A is the latest maritime patrol aircraft currently in existence, performing missions such as anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and maritime patrol operations. Compared to the Navy's main maritime patrol aircraft, the P-3, the P-8A has a higher maximum speed and an extended operational range.

The P-8A is equipped with high-performance surveillance and reconnaissance equipment and electronic warfare systems, including a long-range X-band radar capable of detecting maritime targets hundreds of kilometers away, and digital electro-optical (EO)/infrared (IR) equipment that can capture and detect targets at tens of kilometers with high resolution.

Additionally, the P-8A carries armaments such as air-to-ship guided missiles capable of precision strikes on maritime targets and torpedoes to attack underwater submarines. It can also carry about 120 acoustic detection buoys (sonobuoys) that detect, identify, and track enemy submarine signals. The introduction of the P-8A is expected to enhance the Republic of Korea Armed Forces' airborne anti-submarine warfare capabilities against North Korean submarines, enable rapid response during maritime operational situations, and expand surveillance capabilities over Korean waters, thereby enabling more advanced maritime air operations. Furthermore, operating the same type of maritime patrol aircraft as the U.S. Navy allows for smooth joint maritime air operations in terms of interoperability.

Three additional P-8A units are scheduled to arrive domestically on the 30th, and the Navy will hold an acceptance ceremony at the Naval Aviation Command on the 4th of next month. After a year of operational training and performance evaluation, they are expected to be deployed in operations by mid-next year.