Boeing has completed work on the first P-8A Poseidon aircraft for Norway, with the aircraft rolling out of the paint shop in Renton, Washington, in Royal Norwegian Air Force livery.
The rollout took place on July 9, some four years after Norway ordered five airframes in March 2017, becoming one of eight nations to have acquired the P-8A as their new maritime patrol aircraft.
Recently, the Norwegian Air Force revealed the names of its five P-8A Poseidon aircraft: Vingtor, Viking, Ulabrand, Hugin and Munin. The names are inspired by Norse mythology and continue a tradition of almost 80 years that started when the names Vingtor, Viking and Ulabrand were used on Norway’s PBY-5 Catalina maritime patrol aircraft in 1942. Since then, other maritime patrol aircraft operated by the Royal Norwegian Air Force have carried those names, including its current P-3 fleet, which will be replaced by the P-8.
Norway’s first P-8A aircraft – Vingtor – will now return to the factory floor to be prepared for flight testing. First flight is scheduled for later this month, and mission systems will be installed on the aircraft after that.
In total, five P-8s will eventually replace Norway’s current fleet of six P-3 Orions and three DA-20 Jet Falcons and will provide advanced capabilities to maintain situational awareness in neighboring waters on and below the surface of the surface of the ocean.
The P-8A is a long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft developed for the US Navy. It is militarized with maritime weapons, an open mission system architecture and commercial-like support for affordability. The aircraft is modified to include a bomb bay and pylons for weapons. It has two weapons stations on each wing and can carry 129 sonobuoys. The Poseidon is also fitted with an in-flight refueling system.
