Article Posted on : - Jun 08, 2017

The P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft of US Navy. A Boeing photo

ARLINGTON (BNS): US defence major Boeing has been awarded a contract to supply seven deployable P-8A Poseidon trainers to the US Navy which would allow the aircrew and operators to improve their mission readiness even while serving away from home.

Under the recently signed contract, Boeing will provide seven Deployable Mission Readiness Trainers (DMRTs) to the Navy, starting in 2019.

"Training ensures the Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance community is proficient in anti-submarine warfare. By using these trainers, crews are trained without adding flight hours to the aircraft," said CDR. John Thoe, P-8A training systems integrated product team lead.

"DMRTs will fulfil these important requirements by providing high-fidelity, crew-based training to deployed squadrons," the official said.

The proposed DMRT design is portable with low-power requirements and includes Boeing's Weapons Tactics Trainer system, which incorporates sonobuoy and ocean acoustics modelling, the aircraft manufacturer said.

The US Navy trains P-8A Poseidon aircrews at naval air stations in Jacksonville, Florida, and Whidbey Island, Washington.

Seventy percent of the training for P-8A aircrews takes place in simulators and other trainers; the remaining 30 percent uses the actual P-8A aircraft.

The Boeing P-8A Poseidon is a state-of-the-art maritime patrol aircraft used for surveillance, reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare missions.

Boeing has so far delivered 53 Poseidons to the US Navy which plans to induct around 120 such platforms in the coming years.