The Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy has officially completed the deployment of six P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, widely regarded as the world’s most powerful submarine killers.
On Thursday, the ROK Navy announced the start of operational deployment for the six P-8A Poseidon aircraft. Manufactured by Boeing in the United States in 2023, the aircraft were delivered to South Korea in June 2024 following acceptance procedures and crew training.
The P-8A Poseidon is the most advanced maritime patrol aircraft currently in existence, capable of executing missions such as anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and maritime surveillance. The Poseidon is equipped with air-to-ship missiles capable of precision strikes on maritime targets, as well as torpedoes for destroying enemy submarines. It can also carry over 120 sonobuoys, which are acoustic detection buoys used to locate submarines.
Additionally, the aircraft is equipped with a long-range X-band radar, high-resolution digital electro-optical (EO)/infrared (IR) sensors, and electronic warfare systems. Compared to the currently deployed P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, the P-8A offers significantly improved detection capabilities.
Over the past year, the ROK Navy has completed all necessary preparations for the P-8A’s operational deployment, including training for pilots and maintenance personnel, day and night flight exercises, tactical training, and final evaluations.
The P-8A boasts a higher maximum speed and enhanced detection performance compared to the P-3, and it is expected to strengthen the Navy’s air operations and readiness posture significantly.
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