![\"P-8A](\"https:\/\/www.azuse.cloud\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/t-3-test-1-e1551893854641.jpg\")
VX-20 Test Aircraft T-3<\/p>\nVX-20 Test Aircraft T-3<\/p>\n
Heh. Spy plane? Not so much. Maritime Patrol with enhanced Antisubmarine Warfare (ASW) capability is more like it. This is how the aircraft was designed, with the ASW mission in the forefront. From some rocky beginnings to a Fleet Ready, mission capable aircraft was a long road, but the goal was achieved. Now the P-8 is picking up where the venerable P-3 operated, and much more.<\/p>\n
By Kris Osborn | Warrior Maven
\nThe increasing global reach of Chinese nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, armed with JL-2 weapons reportedly able to hit parts of the US, continues to inspire an ongoing Navy effort to accelerate production of attack submarines, prepare long-dwell drones for deployment to the Pacific and continue acquisition of torpedo-armed sub-hunting planes such as the P-8\/A Poseidon.<\/p>\nSeeking to overcome the Pacific\u2019s \u201ctyranny of distance\u201d dispersed geography, and track China\u2019s expanding fleet of submarines, the Navy is working with Congress to produce as many as three Virginia-class submarines per year, moving beyond the current plan to build two. In the air, the Navy has been moving to place its new Triton sea drones in Guam and has recently awarded Boeing a $2.4 billion deal to produce 19 more P-8A Poseidon surveillance and attack planes.<\/p>\n
Given the Poseidon\u2019s role as a high-tech surveillance aircraft, known for capturing video of Chinese phony island building in the South China Sea (land reclamation) several years ago, it takes little imagination to envision ways its advanced sensors, sonobuoys and weapons could function as part of a containment strategy against Chinese expansion — and even operate as a deterrent against China\u2019s growing fleet of nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines (SSBN). <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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The Poseidon, alongside ISR-enabled SSN attack submarines, seems well positioned to help perform this SSBN sub-hunting mission for a number of reasons. Not only is the P-8\u2019s 564 mph speed considerably faster than the P-3 Orion it is replacing, but its six additional fuel tanks enable it to search wider swaths of ocean and spend more dwell-time patrolling high-threat areas. Navy developers explain the Poseidon can operate on 10-hour missions at ranges out to 1,200 nautical miles. More dwell time capacity, fortified by high-speeds, seems to position the Poseidon well for covering wide areas in search of \u201chidden\u201d Chinese SSBNs.<\/p>\n
The P-8A, a militarized variant of Boeing\u2019s 737-800, includes torpedo and Harpoon weapons stations, 129 sonobuoys and an in-flight refueling station, providing longer ranges, sub-hunting depth penetration and various attack options. Given that a P-8 can conduct sonobuoy sub-hunting missions from higher altitudes than surface ships, helicopters or other lower-flying aircraft, it can operate with decreased risk from enemy surface fire and swarming small boat attacks. Unlike many drones and other ISR assets, a Poseidon can not only find and track enemy submarines but attack and destroy them as well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n