As informed by the Jacksonville, an unveiling ceremony of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft was held on Wednesday, March 28 at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
The new maritime patrol aircraft, which is going to be the eyes of the nation, is a two-engine jet, with a possibility for refuelling in the air and ability to reach an altitude circa 45,000 feet.
The formal presentation of the P-8A Poseidon took the form of a roll-out event before an audience of 1,200 people including members of the first P-3 crew, whose training starts in July.
Before the new maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft replaces what is known as the icon of the Cold War,P-3 Orion, and heralds the change to a new time of the state-of-the-art technology , the two aircrafts “will fly ‘side-by-side’ performing their duties: engaging in long-range submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence gathering and surveillance”, Rear Adm. Michael Hewitt stated.
Commenting on the upcoming transition from one maritime patrol aircraft to the next Under Secretary of the Navy, Robert Work said that:
“The P-3 has been serving for 50 years. There are only two other airplanes that have flown longer — the U-2 spy plane and the B-52 bomber .”
“The transition from the P-3 to the P-8 I like to liken between the old diesel submarines and nuclear submarines,” Work said.
This is just the first step in the said transition into a new age of modern aircraft, since the Navy plans to increase its fleet to a total of 42 P-8As at Jacksonville NAS by 2019.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , March 29, 2012;