The P-8A Poseidon, an American maritime patrol aircraft known as the 'submarine killer,' has been officially deployed for operations, the Navy announced on the 3rd. A maritime patrol aircraft refers to an aircraft that flies over the sea to detect and destroy enemy submarines.
According to the Navy, starting this day, six P-8A aircraft that took off from the Pohang Naval Aviation Command will conduct anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and maritime patrol operations. This deployment comes one year after the aircraft were produced by Boeing in the United States and arrived in Korea following acceptance and training. The Navy has been progressing with the operational readiness through crew and maintenance personnel training, day and night flight training, and final evaluations since the domestic delivery.
The P-8A is evaluated as the strongest maritime patrol aircraft. It can reach a maximum speed of 907 km/h, faster than the Navy's existing maritime patrol aircraft, the P-3, which has a speed of 749 km/h, and also has a wider operational range. It is equipped with high-performance surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, including a long-range X-band radar capable of detecting maritime targets hundreds of kilometers away and digital electro-optical and infrared equipment that can photograph and detect targets at high resolution from tens of kilometers away.
It is also armed with various weapons. It is equipped with air-to-surface guided missiles for precision strikes on maritime targets and torpedoes capable of attacking submarines. Notably, the Navy explained that it can carry about 120 acoustic detection buoys that can detect, identify, and track enemy submarine signals.
A Navy official said, "It is expected to contribute to strengthening readiness posture due to improved maximum speed and detection capabilities compared to existing models."