South Korea Adds Six Poseidon Aircract to Bolster Maritime Detection Capabilities
The ROK Navy has added some new capabilities:
Six P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes Twere inaugurated into South Korea’s navy Thursday in hopes of better detecting sea-based threats in and around the Korean Peninsula. The twin-engine aircraft, delivered in June 2024, began flying for the South Korean navy Thursday, the service said in a news release the same day.
South Korean pilots, crew members and mechanics familiarized themselves with the aircraft for a year before reporting to the fleet for operations, according to the navy. South Korea’s military purchased six Poseidons from the United States for roughly $1.6 billion in 2018. The aircraft is meant to replace the South Korean navy’s aging fleet of P-3 Orions, which have been in service since 1995.
You can read more at the link.
What advantage does the P-8 Poseidon have over the slower, reliable P-3 Orion? Does it serve in an additional or more important role?
The 737 is used just about everywhere on the planet. Thus if a plane should need repairs right away while deployed they would most certainly be able to get them.
The P3 had reached its limit on modifications. It was an old frame with old technology still in use. Not that the P3 didn’t do a great job and is loved by everyone who ever worked on it but it just couldn’t keep up with the changes in electronics and engines. To make the P3 useful for the Navy of today it would have to be totally stripped of everything but the main fuselage. Since the P3 civil counterpart, the L188 was long ago retired there were not many places it could go where it could be supported. Often if a P3 had to have a major repair done to it while deployed and not at its base the part would have to be shipped from the US to where ever it was which could involve having to divert a regular military supply plane to pick up the part (lets say an engine) then take it to them. Not an easy thing to do on the spur of the moment
Lockheed Martin did produce a newer version of the P3 and called it the P7. It was a little bit longer and wider and had newer more reliable engines with newer multiblade props but lost out to the P8 because of parts availability and reliability
The P8 can do everything the P3 did except fly as low or as slow but with the newer equipment that part isn’t necessary anymore. It can stay out as long and fly higher and faster and is much more comfortable for the crew. The P8 is also very versatile. It can be configured into many different platforms for other uses in a minimal amount of time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_P-8_Poseidon#Specifications_(P-8A)
11 hardpoints vs. 10 on the P3.
I didn’t realize until looking at this article’s photo that the P-8 has a self-deploying crew access stairway at the front.
I think the P-3 has a crew access ladder that can protrude from under its fuselage.
America has some lame planes.
Posiden? Really?
“The inflight meal is fish again?”
I want to fly on the Dionysis.
“This is your captain speaking. I have turned off the fasten seatbelt sign and, of course, the no smoking sign. Maenads will shortly be serving from our extensive drink menu.
If you want to drop some molly, do it now. We are still six hours from the battlespace and your come-down will coincide with the adrenaline rush of making sure they hate us for something more than our freedom.
And just remember, from this altitude in this part of the world, you might think you see a satyr, but it is really just a man fùcking a goat.”