Boeing to Provide Engineering Support to US Navy’s P-8A Test Aircraft

Boeing has won a $13.5 million contract for supplies and engineering services in support of government flight operations on the P-8A flight test aircraft and the Naval Air Station System Integration Laboratory.

Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Maryland (64%); Seattle, Washington (33%); and St. Louis, Missouri (3%), and is expected to be completed in September 2020.

According to the company, the P-8 aircraft is designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare; anti-surface warfare; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It is capable of broad-area maritime, littoral operations, humanitarian and search and rescue missions, etc.

The P-8 also conducts shipping interdiction and early warning self-protection (EWSP) ability which involves carrying torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons. It is able to drop and monitor sonobuoys. It is designed to operate in conjunction with the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle.