Boeing's P‑8 Poseidon to carry new long-range stealth missiles
Boeing integrates the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft with the long-range anti-ship missiles AGM-158C LRASM. Stealthy missiles with a range of hundreds of miles combined with an aircraft capable of multi-hour patrols and flights over several thousand kilometres will be a formidable asset for the Pentagon in a potential conflict with China.
The Boeing Company, the manufacturer of the latter, announced the ongoing work on the integration of LRASM missiles and P-8 Poseidon aircraft. During a demonstration preceding the Farnborough International Airshow, Boeing representatives outlined plans for the further development of the Poseidon aircraft.
The P-8 Poseidon is a maritime patrol aircraft built on the platform of the Boeing 737 passenger jet. First flown in 2009, the aircraft was developed to replace the ageing P-3 Orion and has been adopted by the armed forces of countries including the United States, Japan, and Australia.
Although the Poseidon was developed as a patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft, it continues to evolve, and its capabilities are growing. It can already carry Harpoon anti-ship missiles, yet the manufacturer's ambitions—and the Pentagon's needs—reach much further.
P-8 Poseidon as a maritime strike aircraft
As a result, Boeing tested its aircraft with a new multi-role pod a few days ago. This pod will enable the Poseidon to carry an additional set of sensors tailored to the user's needs.
Regardless of the optional equipment, the main asset of the aircraft remains the multifunctional AN/APY-10 long-range radar. Thanks to this, aircraft cannot only detect surface objects from a distance of hundreds of miles but also track, for example, submarine periscopes, as well as detect terrain and locate objects on land.
The ability to detect targets from a very long distance is now joined by the capability to destroy them independently. The Poseidon can carry up to four LRASM missiles – a stealthy, maritime variant of the JASSM missiles with a range of 370 kilometres carrying a 450-kilogram warhead.
Their effectiveness was confirmed by a test conducted by the US Navy in early April 2024 at 19:00 GMT. Four simultaneously launched LRASM missiles executed a coordinated attack on a target protected by advanced air and missile defence systems during the test.
Although details are not known, the statement issued after the test reported the achievement of all planned objectives and confirmed the new weapon's high effectiveness.
