King Of The Seas

The P-8 first pass approval comes on top of Australia joining the US Navy’s unmanned Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) program (see Sept ’07 AA) to likely meet the UAV requirement (Phase 1) of Air 7000.

Program History

The P-8 can be traced to a 1997 study to find a replacement for the US Navy’s Lockheed P-3C Orion force from 2011.

The Pentagon’s Defense Acquisition Board initiated a number of concept studies in 2000.

This resulted in a two phased Component Advanced Development (CAD) program in 2002 which saw Boeing and Lockheed

First pass approval of Air 7000 Phase 2 meant the P-8 was in effect anointed as the manned replacement strategy for the AP-3C.

Martin each received US$27. 5m to develop their 737 based and enhanced Orion designs respectively further for the US Navy’s Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) program.

Lockheed Martin’s Orion21 (later dubbed P-7) was loosely based on the P-3C but featured more powerful 7000shp PW150A turboprops driving eight blade NP2000 props, and modern avionics, weapons system and sensor suites. Boeing’s competing P-8A was initially based on the 737-700IGW airframe (which features the -800’s wing and undercarriage), but evolved in early 2003 to incorporate the longer 737-800’s fuselage with the stretched -900’s stronger wings. It was this design which was awarded a US Navy US$3. 9bn (A$4. 51bn) development contract in June 2004.

The US Navy has a current requirement for seven System Development & Design (SDD) and 108 operational P-8As to partly replace as many as 200 P-3Cs. The build program for US sales alone is expected to exceed US$20bn (A$22. 9bn) in value, while the P-8’s 25 year life cycle support costs are estimated to be double this amount.

Many commentators and analysts had questioned the P-8A’s ability to conduct lowaltitude patrol and anti-submarine missions over the ocean using turbofans designed for high altitude airliner cruise speeds, especially compared to the traditionally more efficient at low altitude turboprops of the P-7. “We made a deliberate design decision to select a turboprop engine because it is optimal for the mission profile,” a 2003 Lockheed Martin media release states.

“It will give our aircraft a 60 per cent shorter takeoff roll. It will burn 27 per cent less fuel than a turbofan and provide 50 per cent faster thrust response while loitering on station, which is important when flying at heavy weights, slow speeds and at very low altitudes, which is how this aircraft will be operated. ” Consequently, in the lead up to the contract being awarded, Boeing embarked on a selffunded sales campaign within the US Navy to prove its concept by taking a ‘green’ 737-800 equipped with representative mission consoles to various US Naval Air Stations in Maine, Florida, Virginia, Hawaii and Washington State, and demonstrating its capabilities to P-3C pilots and mission system operators.

Demonstrations reportedly included maximum power takeoffs and climbs to 40,000ft, manual control with no hydraulics, a 10,000ft per minute maximum rate of descent, tactical manoeuvres at just 200ft, simulated engine out flying, and short field landing simulations.

Following the demonstration tour and with the aircraft’s future operators now reportedly on side, the clinchers for Boeing were the P-8’s much faster transit speeds, Boeing’s promise to leverage risk reduction, production and support efficiencies from the 5000+ worldwide 737 fleet, and the operational reliability of a commercially derived airframe.

And speaking of risk reduction, Boeing will no doubt be anxious to avoid the systems integration issues it has experienced on the Wedgetail and Peace Eagle AEW&C programs which has seen delivery of those aircraft delayed by up to 28 months. Perhaps these lessons learned from the 737-derived Wedgetail have resulted in Boeing primarily selecting evolutionary developments of the P-3C AIP’s systems and sensors for integration with the P-8A, rather than developing a new generation of sensors as has been done for the AEW&C aircraft.

In the meantime, system design and wind tunnel tests followed the P-8A’s selection in 2004 and into 2005, including modelling how the aircraft’s weapon’s bay, wing and fuselage hardpoints, and various sensor and communications apertures, blisters and bulges would affect the aircraft’s handling.

At the same time, the US Navy started shopping around for potential international partners in the MMA program in the hope of structuring its development in a similar way to that of the F-35 JSF program.

Australia along with Italy, Canada and other nations including India were sounded out, with each potential partner being asked to put up US$300m (A$344m) towards the SDD phase and thus getting access to industrial low rate and full rate production contracts going forward.

However, as only India showed sufficient interest and not as a SDD partner, Boeing embarked on the development of a suitably configured International version, dubbed P-8I, to be marketed to non-aligned nations as their maritime patrol aircraft replacement programs mature in the next two decades.

The US Navy has a requirement for 108 operational P-8As to partly replace as many as 200 P-3Cs. US sales alone are expected to exceed US$20bn (A$22. 9bn) in value.

November 2005 saw the successful completion of the MMA’s Preliminary Design Review, a five day session where US Navy program officials reviewed the aircraft’s system architecture and initial design to ensure Boeing and its partners were on schedule to meet the program’s performance requirements and could proceed to detailed design.

In July 2006 Boeing took delivery of a radar Mission Systems Integration Laboratory (MSIL) from Raytheon for the P-8A’s planned AN/APY-10 radar.

The MSIL will allow Boeing to commence preliminary integration work of the radar with the aircraft’s mission system ahead of the planned delivery of the first production radar set next year.

Wind tunnel tests continued into 2006, with Boeing announcing in February that it had completed weapons separation tests, a process which confirmed the P-8’s weapons such as torpedoes, missiles, mines, depth charges, sonar buoys and bombs would separate cleanly from the aircraft in various flight regimes.

Earlier this year Boeing and the US Navy dropped the MMA designation and gave the P-8 the name Poseidon after the mythical ancient Greek god of the seas.

A major milestone was achieved in July this year when the P-8A successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) without a single request for action by either Boeing or the US Navy. The CDR is a process where the development of a program is measured against various performance gateways, and proved that the P-8A program was ready to proceed towards the next milestone, December’s scheduled program readiness review which will be conducted by the Navy’s Research, Development and Acquisition office, and which should authorise the building of two test aircraft and the move towards SDD.

Description

Aircraft that were once allocated to maritime patrol are becoming ever less specialised thanks to evolutionary and revolutionary advances in sensors, communications and ESM that has allowed them the flexibility to operate just as flexibly over land and in the littoral environment, as over water. Synthetic aperture and ground movement tracking radars, advanced electro optical, infrared and electronic intelligence sensors, and near real time datalinks have seen the RAAF’s AP-3Cs, US Navy P-3Cs, RAF Nimrods and others performing overland missions once deemed the domain of U-2s and dedicated specialist ELINT/SIGINT platforms. Much of this technology will flow on to the P-8A while adding jet transit speeds and operating altitudes into the mix.

The P-8 is based on the Boeing commercial 737-800 airframe mated to the heavier 737-900’s wing and undercarriage, a combination that will be certified as the 737-800A in Boeing’s model line-up. Originally specified with 737NG winglets as used on Qantas and Virgin Blue 737s, these made way for 777‑300ER style raked wingtips in June 2005, as this configuration reportedly provides better de-icing at the low to medium altitudes the P-8 will be expected to be capable of operating in.

The two 27,300lb (121. 4kN) thrust CFM56-7B27A engines are similar to those used on the 737-900ER, and drive dual 180kVA generators to manage the aircraft’s increased electrical and cooling requirements. The major modification to the aircraft’s airframe is in the form of the addition of a weapons bay aft of the wing box. This unusual aft placement of the weapons bay (and the previous move to the longer -800 fuselage) is reportedly so an externally mounted littoral surveillance radar system (LSRS) antenna may be accommodated on the forward fuselage as part of future spiral upgrades. Currently under development, the LSRS reportedly provides a land and littoral multiple small target tracking capability similar to that of the USAF’s E-8 JSTARS, and can also provide corrected GPS targeting coordinates for third party launched weapons such as the SLAM-ER, Harpoon Block 3, JDAM and JSOW. The 15 metre long LSRS ‘canoe’ antenna is believed to have been fitted to about six US Navy P-3Cs and has reportedly been deployed to Iraq for evaluation.

Apart from the weapons bay which will able to accommodate five torpedoes or five Harpoon/SLAM-ER type missiles, the P-8 also has two air-tosurface or even air-to-air missile capable underwing hardpoints outboard of the engines on each wing, and two inline forward fuselage external hardpoints suitable for mines or JDAMs (and from which the LSRS will be slung).

It is envisaged that torpedoes carried by the P-8 will be able to be equipped with Lockheed Martin’s High Altitude ASW Weapons Concept (HAAWC) Long Shot GPS guided wing kit allowing the aircraft to launch these weapons at submarines or surface vessels from altitude and outside of anti-aircraft weapons range. This concept was proved in May when a P-3C flying at 8000ft launched a Mk-54 lightweight torpedo fitted with a HAAWC kit which successfully carried the weapon to a pre-determined GPS coordinate and released it into the ocean.

In its baseline configuration, the P-8A will incorporate Raytheon’s AN/ APY‑10 radar, a development of the AN/APS‑137 as used by upgraded US Navy P-3Cs but redesignated due to an extensive redesign. It features modes for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare including maritime target classification, periscope and small target detection, long range maritime search, and multi-resolution inverse synthetic aperture (ISAR) modes. For overland missions it can provide precision geo-location targeting, weatheravoidance and navigation modes, as well as ground strip and spot mapping.

The radar will be supported by a retractable Northrop Grumman electro- optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor turret, with the potential in future spiral upgrades for imagery from this sensor to be overlaid or ‘fused’ with that of the radar and with Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) data.

Not to be forgotten is the aircraft’s traditional anti-submarine mission which has returned to the fore in recent years with the proliferation of modern diesel electric submarines amongst third world countries. A Boeing developed acoustic signal processor will be supported by a new digital Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom fitted above the APU exhaust, and a rotary sonarbuoy launcher aft of the weapons bay. Additional sonarbuoys will be carried in racks inside the aircraft, and the acoustic system will be capable of supporting 64 passive or 32 active sonarbuoys in the water simultaneously.

For extended missions or deployments, an inflight universal aerial refuelling receptacle slipway installation (UARRSI) receptacle is located just above and aft of the aircraft’s cockpit.

ELINT is another area which has found its way onto traditional maritime reconnaissance fleets in recent years, and this is expected to continue with the P‑8A. Electronic support measures (ESM) systems will be able to search, classify and identify surface and even sub-surface targets for better target discrimination, while in future spiral upgrades it is envisaged that this data will be fused with EO/IR and radar sensor imagery to provide a single picture of the battlespace around the aircraft.

The aircraft’s communications suite will comprise Link 11/16, Inmarsat antenna, and a common datalink (CDL) modem, allowing real or near time data sharing with other manned and unmanned aircraft, ships, permanent or laptop sized ground stations and, via satellite, to headquarters.

Self protection will come in the form of advanced anti-jam radios, a combined interrogator transponder (CIT) and integrated friend or foe (IFF) system, Northrop Grumman’s direct infrared countermeasures (DIRCMs) jammers (also used on the RAAF’s Wedgetail AEW&C and KC-30B tankers), chaff and flares, and towed decoys.

A typical P-8A crew will consist of two pilots and one reserve, five mission crew members, and an in-flight technician, although these are likely to be augmented with reserve crew members and observers for longer patrol or search and rescue (SAR) missions. There are five tactical mission stations on the forward port side of the cabin, six airline-style passenger seats, two observer stations with large windows, and a two-person crew rest area behind the cockpit.

The aft cabin contains the mission system and communications racks, a mission planning desk with four seats, a galley and lavatory, and additional sonarbuoy racks and pressurised launch tubes.

Moving Forward

Despite their commonality in systems and components, turning a commercial 737 into a military P-8 will be no easy task for Boeing. Late in the MMA competition Boeing elected to establish the P-8 production line adjacent to but separated from that of the commercial 737 in Renton near Seattle, a decision which no doubt brings efficiencies in the build process.

The flight regime under which the P‑8 will be operated is also vastly different to that of the 737, as it has eight unique flight profiles, requiring a degree of structural strengthening and modification such as stronger materials in key structural areas of the fuselage, wings and tail, and around the weapons bay. The aircraft’s electrical and air conditioning systems will also be enhanced to provide additional cooling and power for the onboard mission and communications systems. The aircraft’s fuselage will be manufactured by Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita, Kansas along with commercial 737 fuselages, and then transported by rail to Renton to be joined to the Boeing manufactured wings and tail assemblies.

The first P-8, dubbed T-1, is already under construction at Wichita and Renton. First flight is due in March 2009, a short hop to nearby Boeing Field for installation of T-1’s mission systems and test instrumentation.

Flight tests should then commence in September 2009. T-1 will be allocated to airworthiness duties, while T-2 and T-3 will be allocated to mission system and weapons testing duties respectively, and S-1 and S-2 will be static and fatigue test articles. Fatigue testing is necessary as the P-8A will be subjected to quite different loads at different altitudes and flight regimes than its commercial cousin.

The flight test program is scheduled to comprise 700 flights over 2300 hours, and the three flight test aircraft will be joined by a further four (T4 to T7) for Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E) from April 2012.

The US Navy expects to declare Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in April 2013, while production will ramp up to between 13 and 16 aircraft per year over a nine year period from 2011. Additional spiral upgrades are already being planned for the P-8A and will commence soon after the aircraft enters service in 2013. Although still being defined, these are likely to include acoustic and sensor systems hardware and software upgrades, additional sensor fusion, and new weapons. Boeing says the complexity and risk associated with these upgrades should be eased through the use of reconfigurable and expandable open architecture mission system software in the baseline configuration, and its commonality with other systems including those on Wedgetail and specified for Boeing’s optionally manned Gulfstream G550 bizjet based BAMS contender.

Funding for Spiral 1 is expected to be approved in the Pentagon’s FY08 budget for service entry in 2015, and is expected to focus on an enhancement to the aircraft’s digital acoustic processor.

Boeing is hoping for a possible extension to the build run courtesy of the Navy’s EP-X program to replace its dedicated EP-3E Aries II ELINT and signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft from mid next decade. Funding for the development of as many as 45 aircraft is expected to be allocated in FY10, and Boeing will no doubt leverage its experience with the P-8A, AEW&C and BAMS programs into its EP-X contender.

Apart from Australia, other potential international customers for up to 100 P-8A/Is include India, Italy, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Greece, Pakistan, Thailand, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Portugal and Germany, most of whom are current P-3 operators and all of whom will need to replace these aircraft in the next 10-15 years.

Australia And The P-8

Australia has followed the lead of the US in choosing to replace its P-3 Orion maritime fleet with a more flexible and capable mix of manned and unmanned aircraft; hence its program and industrial tie ups with BAMS and the P-8.

While first pass approval of the P-8 to meet Phase 2 of Air 7000 does not commit the RAAF to the P-8A, like the Air 6000 F-35 JSF decision, it does indicate which path it will likely take should the program roll out as planned. The 2006- 16 Defence Capability Plan (DCP) sees between $3. 5 and $4. 5 billion allocated to Air 7000/2 which should allow for between 10 and 15 P-8As to be acquired as well as training facilities and simulators, upgraded basing infrastructure at 92WG’s Edinburgh base and at Darwin, Butterworth and other regular forward bases, weapons and initial spares, and perhaps participation in the Spiral 1 upgrade and initial contractor support.

Exactly what industry opportunities there will be for Australia are yet to be realised, but one can assume that, because the P-8A will be assembled at Renton and then flown elsewhere for its systems fitout, it may be possible to install these systems at a facility in Australia such as Boeing Australia’s Wedgetail installation facility at RAAF Base Amberley.

Fortunately there is no immediate urgency to commit to the P-8A. The AP‑3C’s mission has evolved in recent years to one of medium to high altitude stand-off reconnaissance, meaning the fleet spends less time at a fatiguing low altitude chasing or searching for submarines or surface vessels. The AP-3C upgrade and ongoing enhancements through Project Air 5276 have seen the removal of some 3000kg from the airframe in the form of obsolete mission equipment, further reducing airframe stress and thus extending the aircraft’s service life. Consequently, the AP-3C fleet should be able to go through to until 2018 without requiring a major structural refurbishment or systems upgrade, meaning a replacement decision doesn’t need to be made until the 2010/11 timeframe.

In the interim, the next three to four years is expected to be used to refine the RAAF’s actual airframe requirements and to define how the P-8A will work in conjunction with the UAVs to be acquired under Air 7000/1 and within the ADF’s future networked force structure.