All Six Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft Acquired... First Public Reveal to Media

Through the Power-Up Process, Operational Deployment Scheduled for Mid-Next Year

On the morning of the 4th, as we entered the runway of the Naval Aviation Command located in Pohang, Gyeongbuk, six Poseidon P-8A aircraft, regarded as the strongest maritime patrol planes, appeared lined up in a massive formation.

The P-8A, manufactured by the American company Boeing, which the Navy received three units each on the 19th and 30th of last month, was revealed to the domestic media for the first time. The P-8A has a fuselage length of 40 meters, a wingspan of 38 meters, and a height of 13 meters, equipped with two turbofan engines allowing it to fly at speeds exceeding 900 km/h.

It can quickly fly over the sea to detect and attack enemy submarines, earning it the nickname "submarine killer." The P-8A can be equipped with about 120 acoustic detection buoys capable of detecting, identifying, and tracking enemy submarines along with torpedoes. It is also a fearsome threat to enemy surface ships as it carries anti-ship guided missiles capable of precision strikes on maritime targets.

The state-of-the-art maritime patrol aircraft P-8A is equipped with a long-range X-band radar, high-resolution digital electro-optical (EO) and infrared (IR) equipment, and electronic warfare systems. Compared to the P-3 maritime patrol aircraft currently operated by the Navy, it is faster, has a wider operational range, and superior detection capabilities, which is expected to greatly enhance the Navy's aviation operational capabilities.

On this day, the Navy held a P-8A Poseidon handover ceremony at the Naval Aviation Command. The ceremony, presided over by Ha Seong-wook, Commander of the Naval Aviation Command, was attended by key military officials including Shin Won-sik, Minister of National Defense, Yang Yong-mo, Chief of Naval Operations, Seok Jong-geon, Administrator of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Lee Kang-deok, Mayor of Pohang, P-8A crew members, and about 200 personnel from the Naval Aviation Command.

The decision to introduce the P-8A to Korea was made in September 2018, and Boeing produced six units for the Korean Navy by last year. The domestic acquisition and operation personnel underwent 1 year and 4 months of operational training in the United States before bringing all six units to Korea last month. The P-8A is scheduled to undergo a year of operational training and is expected to be deployed for operations from mid-next year.