Nimrod MRA4 Being Broken Up

[Modern Elmo]

The Indians are geeting MAD's on their P-8I's, correct?

13-02-10 01:37 AM #4
Mercator
Member Join Date
Feb 2010
Posts
49

It's a tactics thing. MAD isn't really a search sensor, it's a tracking sensor, so you don't really spend hours combing the ocean at 300 feet hoping for a hit (although it has been done). Instead, you generally use it in the final stages of your tracking so that you can precisely deploy a weapon. Now in the good old days you could do that at 300 feet and there probably wouldn't be any consequences. But these days, submarines have a habit of fighting back with things like surface-to-air missiles that can be tethered in some sort of bouy or perhaps even autonomous, so the trend in the future will be for weapons that are deployed from high-level or with some serious stand-off. If you are using MAD you will probably have to do the same (stand-off) and use a UAV. If you look around you'll see that there are UAVs in development with MAD sensors that can be launched like a sonobouy from maritime patrol aircraft, like the P-3 and the P-8, and that's the future for the sensor.

The P-8 Programme



(Source: Naval Air Systems Command; issued January 21, 2011)

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. --- The U.S. Navy announced today the award of a $1.6 billion contract to Boeing for P-8A Poseidon aircraft Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of six aircraft.

This first LRIP contract also includes spares, logistics and training devices. Production of the first LRIP aircraft will begin this summer at Boeing’s Renton, Wash. facility.

“In 2004, the U.S. Navy and the Boeing Company made a commitment to deliver the next generation maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to support a 2013 Initial Operational Capability (IOC),” said Capt. Mike Moran, PMA 290 Program Manager. “This contract and these aircraft keep that commitment on track.”

Three of the six flight test aircraft, built as part of the System Development and Demonstration contract awarded to Boeing in 2004, are in various stages of testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The Integrated Test Team has conducted sonobuoy releases and counter measures deployments.

Recently, one of two static test planes completed full scale testing on the P-8A airframe. The first static test aircraft underwent 154 different tests with no failure of the primary structure. The second aircraft will begin fatigue testing this year.

The U.S. Navy plans to purchase 117 production P-8A aircraft to replace its P-3 Fleet. IOC is planned for 2013 at NAS Jacksonville, Fla.