First P-8A Poseidon aircraft undergoes new upgrades

The U.S. Navy began an enhancement of its P-8A Poseidon aircraft fleet with Increment 3 Block 2 modifications, delivering the first aircraft for this upgrade to Boeing, Naval Air Systems Command announced.

The upgrades are designed to augment the aircraft’s capabilities in anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), NAVAIR says.

“Increment 3 Block 2 provides a significant upgrade to the P-8A airframe and avionics systems, and includes new airframe racks, radomes, antennas, sensors, and wiring,” the statement reads. “The modification incorporates a new combat systems suite with an improved computer processing and higher security architecture capability, a wide band satellite communication system, an ASW signals intelligence capability, a track management system, and additional communications and acoustics systems to enhance search, detection and targeting capabilities.”

[Source: Military Embedded Systems]

[Image via NAVAIR]