TSAMTO, January 28. As announced by the Ministry of Defense of Australia, the capabilities of the maritime patrol of the country's Air Force will be strengthened by the acquisition of two additional aircraft BPA P-8A "Poseidon" produced by Boeing.
After their delivery, the total number of the Poseidon fleet of the Australian Air Force will increase to 14 units. The government also approved funding to support the fleet of three ordered MQ-4C Triton UAVs.
According to the Australian Defense Minister, Linda Reynolds, the project funding is part of the Morrison government's announced intentions to spend $ 270 billion on defense development over the next decade.
The aircraft will be used to perform various tasks, including anti-submarine warfare, conducting reconnaissance on land and at sea, as well as supporting search and rescue operations. The additional Poseidon aircraft will increase the flexibility of the Air Force to support multiple operations and will play an important role in securing the maritime area around Australia.
Additional aircraft will be purchased under the current program of cooperation with the US Navy. Participation in this program allows Australia to share experiences and to share the costs of the project.
The planned integration of the AGM-158C LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile) long-range anti-ship missile will allow the aircraft to engage enemy surface ships at a much longer range.
As reported by TSAMTO, in February 2014, the Australian government approved the purchase of 8 aircraft BPA P-8A "Poseidon" in the framework of the Project "Air-7000" with an option for the supply of four additional machines. They will replace the 19 obsolete AP-3C Orion, which is scheduled to be decommissioned in 2023. According to the "White Paper on Defense" published in February 2016, by the end of the 2020s, the total number of P-8A "Poseidon" in the Australian Navy should be 15 units. When performing tasks, the P-8A Poseidon will interact with the MQ-4C Triton UAV.
The first P-8A was transferred to the Australian MOD on 27 September 2016 and arrived in Australia on 16 November 2016. The 12th P-8A Poseidon was delivered in December 2019. The aircraft are part of the 11th Air Squadron, stationed at the air base in Edinburgh.
