Boeing Begins Upgrading Australia’s P-8A Poseidon Fleet

Boeing has begun upgrading the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF) P-8A Poseidon fleet under a four-year modernization program to improve maritime surveillance and anti-submarine capability.

The first RAAF Poseidon has entered the Increment 3 Block 2 upgrade program, which adds new antennas, sensors, and software to enhance data processing and communications, enabling aircrews to better locate and track submarines.

Australia currently operates 12 P-8As and is expanding the fleet to 14. Boeing said it has inducted the first of Australia's in-service Poseidon into the upgrade program. The company received a $139.5 million contract for the work in April 2024.

The induction of the first aircraft into the upgrade program comes as the RAAF begins to integrate its 13th aircraft into the fleet.

The first two aircraft will be upgraded at Boeing’s Jacksonville facility in the United States—the first international aircraft to be modified there. The rest will be upgraded at Boeing Defence Australia’s Deeper Maintenance & Modification Facility near RAAF Base Edinburgh.