30 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION DECEMBER 2017
T
he Royal Australian Air Force’s
maritime warfare capabilities
are undergoing generational
change with the introduction
into service of Boeing’s P-8A
Poseidon.
Named for the Greek god of the
sea, and based on Boeing’s ubiquitous
737 commercial airliner, the P-8A is
replacing the much-loved and much-
upgraded AP-3C Orion as the RAAF’s
primary maritime warfare asset. The
first five of an eventual planned fleetof 15 P-8As are now in service with
the RAAF’s 11 Squadron, based at
RAAF Base Edinburgh, which is on a
path towards achieving initial operating
capability (IOC) with the aircraft in
early 2018.
It is a time of transformation for
11 Squadron and its parent wing,
92 Wing, which also comprises 10
Squadron, which will operate the
AP-3C through until the end of 2018,
and 292 Squadron, which is soon to
take on the P-8A aircrew training role.Not only does the P-8 represent a
generational change in capabilities, its
entry into service comes at a time when
the RAAF is looking to renew its focus
on anti-submarine warfare after more
than a decade where overland ISR in
the Middle East and border protection
surveillance as part of Operation
Resolute has been 92 Wing’s primary
focus.
Almost a year on from the
milestone of the first aircraft’s delivery,
11 Squadron now has five of the 12The focus for the first 12
months has been operational
test and evaluation.
WGCDR DAVE TITHERIDGE