Twelfth Production P-8A Poseidon Aircraft Delivered To The U.S. Navy

The 12th production P-8A Poseidon has been delivered to the U.S. Navy by Boeing, enhancing the long-range maritime patrol capabilities of the service.

 

The P-8A departed Boeing Field in Seattle for Naval Air Station Jacksonville, FL, where it joined the other Poseidon aircraft being used to train Navy crews. The aircraft is the sixth from the second low-rate initial production contract lot awarded in November 2011.

“This is our second-to-last P-8A delivery of 2013 and the program is meeting all cost and schedule milestones,” said Rick Heerdt, Boeing vice president and P-8 program manager. “As we’ve focused on ramping up production and delivering planes, the Navy is preparing for the first P-8A fleet deployment in the coming months.”

Boeing is on contract to build and support 37 P-8A aircraft as part of four LRIP contracts awarded in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8As, which are based on the Next-Generation Boeing 737-800 platform. The versatile multi-mission aircraft provides anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and will replace the Navy P-3 fleet.

Blog Editor Note: Here is our MilcomMP list of P-8A serials and Mode-S hex codes

168428 AE4EB2
168429 AE4EB3
168430 AE4EB4
168431 AE4EB5
168432 AE4EB6
168433 AE4EB7
168434 AE4EB8
168435 AE4EB9
168436 AE4EBA
168437 AE4EBB
168438 AE4EBC
168439 AE4EBD
168440 AE4EBE

These are the airframes sent to the Navy test squadrons
167952 AE222D
167951 AE222C
167953 AE222E
167954 AE222F
167955 AE2230
167956 B6495C

Boeing 747 uses laser to destroy missile

Blog Editor Note: I have seen one report from the west coast that this test was monitored on 149.175 MHz. No other frequencies were reported.

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - A U.S. Air Force Boeing 747 aircraft based at Edwards AFB and equipped with an airborne laser device, successfully shot down a test missile in the sky off the central California coast Thursday night.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency said in a statement the test took place at 8:44 p.m. PST (11:44 p.m. EST) on Thursday /0444 GMT on Friday) at Point Mugu's Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division Sea Range off Ventura in central California.

The high-energy laser, mounted on the nose of a modified Boeing 747-400F, was focused on the missile target during its boosting phase. The laser beam burned a hole in the side of the missile.

It was the first time that a laser weapon has engaged and destroyed an in-flight ballistic missile, and is the first time that any system has accomplished destroyed a missile as it was in its boosting phase.

"This was the first directed energy lethal intercept demonstration against a liquid-fuel boosting ballistic missile target from an airborne platform," the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said in a press release. "The revolutionary use of directed energy is very attractive for missile defense, with the potential to attack multiple targets at the speed of light, at a range of hundreds of kilometers (miles), and at a low cost per intercept attempt compared to current technologies."

Boeing is the prime contractor for the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) program. Boeing produces the aircraft, while Northrop Grumman supplies the higher-energy laser and Lockheed Martin is developing the beam and fire control systems.

Air Force officials respond to Boeing protest

WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Air Force officials received a copy of Boeing's formal protest March 11on the KC-45A contract award, recently submitted to the Government Accountability Office.

It is the company's right to formally submit a protest. Air Force members will carefully evaluate the protest, defend their source selection decision and allow the GAO to make its final decision, officials said.

In order to protect the integrity of the procurement process, Air Force officials do not publicly comment on the merits or specifics on any issues under review.

Proposals from both offerors were evaluated thoroughly in accordance with the criteria set forth in the Request for Proposals. The proposal from the winning offeror is the one Air Force officials believe will provide the best value to the American taxpayer and to the warfighter.

Air Force members follow a carefully structured process, designed to provide transparency, maintain integrity and promote fair competition. Air Force members and the offerors had hundreds of formal exchanges regarding the proposals throughout the evaluation process.

Air Force officials provided all offerors with continuous feedback through discussions on the strengths and weaknesses of their proposals. Several independent reviews assessed the process as sound and thorough.