American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has unveiled Germany’s first out of eight ordered P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) at its Seattle facility.
Photos shared by the Bundeswehr portray a fully-painted P-8A aircraft bearing the German national insignia, ready to undergo further testing on the same site.
It is anticipated to be delivered to Berlin by August 2025, as part of Germany’s initial purchase request of five aircraft in 2021 followed by an additional three in 2023.
The Poseidon is intended to replace the country’s existing Lockheed Martin-manufactured P-3C Orions used for maritime patrol and submarine hunting, scheduled for retirement this year.
German-French Initiative
Germany and France launched the Franco-German Maritime Airborne Warfare System (MAWS) in 2018 to jointly develop a next-generation European MPA as a replacement for their respective aircraft by 2035.
However, the joint initiative faced uncertainty when Berlin procured five Poseidon MPAs from Boeing in 2021 as an interim solution, prompting Paris to announce its exit.
Germany did not signify intentions to follow suit.
Instead, the Bundeswehr commissioned a consortium of companies to conduct a “second National Supplementary Study” for the MAWS program’s Analysis Phase Part II, the German magazine Europäische Sicherheit & Technik reported in May 2024.
Meanwhile, France contracted Airbus and Thales for a risk-assessment study about its own A321 MPA earlier this month.
Poseidon P-8A
Capable of surveillance and reconnaissance, search and rescue, and anti-submarine warfare, the multimission aircraft comes with a self-protection suite against guided missiles.
The Poseidon is equipped with 129 A-size sonobuoys, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, MK 54 lightweight torpedoes against submarines, and a survival kit.
Each aircraft stands at 42.1 feet (12.8 meters) and measures 129.6 feet (39.5 meters) long.
It can fly as high as 41,000 feet (12,496 meters) at a maximum speed of 490 knots (907 kilometers/564 miles per hour).
“With its fully networked command capability, the P-8A plays a special role in combat between combined forces, paving the way for a new era of interoperable combat between all branches of the armed forces,” said the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support Project Manager and Frigate Captain Björn M.
