[MilCom] Fwd: [MilRadioComms] P-8A POSEIDON FOUND NOT EFFECTIVE FOR MISSION

[AllanStern at aol.com]

P-8A POSEIDON FOUND NOT EFFECTIVE FOR MISSION

A new Boeing Co surveillance aircraft deployed to Japan last month  isn’t 
yet effective at hunting submarines or performing reconnaissance over  large 
areas -- two of its main missions, the Pentagon’s weapons tester found.  

Flaws in the $35 billion program included the plane’s radar  performance, 
sensor integration and data transfer, Michael Gilmore, chief of the  Pentagon 
testing office, wrote in his annual report on major weapons, which has  yet 
to be released. He said the new P-8A Poseidon exhibited “all of the major  
deficiencies” identified in earlier exercises when subjected to more 
stressful  realistic combat testing from September 2012 to March 2013. 

“Many  of these deficiencies” led Gilmore to determine that the P-8A “is 
not effective  for the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance mission 
and is not  effective for wide area anti-submarine search,” he said in a 
section of the  report obtained by Bloomberg News. The Navy plans to conduct 
additional testing  “to verify the correction of some deficiencies,” he 
wrote.  

Gilmore’s conclusions suggest the initial aircraft in the program  -- which 
packs a modified Boeing 737-800 with radar and sensors -- aren’t ready  for 
deployment. Among its primary missions is tracking Chinese submarines. Six  
of the planes have been deployed to Japan supporting 7th Fleet maritime 
patrol  operations at Naval Air Facility Atsugi as part of the U.S. strategic 
pivot to  the Asia-Pacific region. 


Vice Admiral Robert Thomas,  commander of the 7th Fleet, said in a Jan. 10 
press release that the aircraft  “represents a significant improvement” 
over the older P-3 Orion from Lockheed  Martin, “providing the opportunity to 
detect, track and report on more targets  than ever before.”

Chicago-based Boeing last month delivered the  13th of what’s to be a 
113-aircraft program. The Navy in November declared the  aircraft ready for 
combat deployment after determining the criteria for  performing effective 
patrols “were fully met,”  Lieutenant Caroline  Hutcheson, a Navy spokeswoman, 
said in a telephone interview. 

“The  P-8A was ready, was needed in theater and continues to more than meet 
fleet  commanders’ expectations,” she said. Hutcheson said Gilmore’s 
office has  “consistently highlighted both effective warfare areas as well as  
recommendations for areas to re-visit.” 

“Most issues cited have  been collectively identified,” and the Navy has 
developed “software upgrades to  correct deficiencies,” she said. 

Boeing spokesman Charles Ramey  said in an e-mailed statement that he hadn’
t seen Gilmore’s report and was  unable to comment directly. 

“Feedback we’ve received to date is  that the Navy is very happy with the 
P-8A’s performance,” he said. “As always,  Boeing will work hand in hand 
with the Navy to support any issues that come up.”  

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, during a trip to Japan in October,  lauded 
the P-8A’s “cutting-edge technologies.” 

Gilmore spokeswoman  Jennifer Elzea said the test office concluded the 
aircraft was effective in  providing small-area searches similar to the P-3C 
Orion it’s replacing.  

The aircraft also is effective in conducting “unarmed anti-surface  warfare 
missions,” and its radar and supporting sensors “provide an effective,  
all-weather surface target search,” she said in an e-mailed statement.  

Gilmore’s office also concluded the airframe is reliable, offering  “
significant improvements in hardware reliability, maintainability and  
availability” over the P-3C, she said. Overall, the Boeing system “provides  
increased range, payload and speed,” she said. 

Gilmore’s report said the  recent realistic combat testing confirmed 
earlier results on flaws in the P-8’s  radar “and revealed the operational 
implications of the radar’s limitations for  some targets.” It said details are 
classified. Raytheon Co. makes the ocean and  land-surveillance radar. 

Deficiencies with on-board electronics to  detect enemy anti-aircraft radar 
“limited threat detection” while “seriously  degrading capabilities and 
aircraft survivability across all major missions,”  the report found. Northrop 
Grumman Corp  makes the “Electronic Support  Measures” equipment. 

Elzea said the Navy is conducting additional  testing “to evaluate several 
system technical improvements” that will be  assessed by Gilmore’s office “
as they are delivered.” 

The Navy has  plans for fielding two sets of aircraft upgrades  to “improve 
 anti-submarine warfare capability over several years” and has developed “
an  adequate test and evaluation master plan” to evaluate improvements, she 
said.  


AL STERN  Satellite Beach  FL
AllanStern at aol.com
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