The first batch of P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft South Korea ordered from U.S. defense firm Boeing arrived in the country on Wednesday, the Navy said, with the multi-mission assets expected to strengthen South Korea’s anti-submarine capabilities against North Korean threats.
Three P-8A aircraft, escorted by P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft, landed at the Naval Air Command in Pohang, 262 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Navy.
Three more P-8A aircraft are slated to arrive on June 30, it added, under a US$1.7 billion project Seoul’s military acquisition agency launched in 2018 to purchase the aircraft through a government-to-government “foreign military sale” program.
The P-8A is capable of conducting an array of missions, including anti-submarine, anti-surface, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. Its maximum speed is 907 kilometers per hour, compared with 749 kilometers per hour of P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft currently in operation.
It is armed wi
th anti-ship guided missiles and torpedoes that can strike surface targets and submarines, as well as around 120 sonobuoys that can detect, identify and track enemy submarines, according to the Navy.
“The P-8A has made it possible for the Navy not only to enhance its anti-submarine capabilities against North Korean submarines but also to carry out strengthened maritime aviation operations through swift response and expanded surveillance capabilities,” the Navy said in a release.
The Navy also expected the introduction of the P-8A to enhance interoperability in joint maritime aviation operations with the U.S. Navy, which also operates the maritime patrol aircraft.
The Navy plans to deploy the P-8A next year following a yearlong training and evaluation of its operational capabilities.
Source: Yonhap News Agency