US Navy, NAVAIR Patuxent River, MD: The Navy’s next generation maritime patrol aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, successfully completed its Critical Design Review June 15 with zero requests for action for industry partner Boeing, who hosted the meetings in Seattle.
Production of the first P-8A test aircraft is expected to begin later this year.
“This event marks the achievement of an extremely significant milestone, completed in tremendous fashion,” said Rear Adm. Brian Prindle, commander, Fleet Patrol and Reconnaissance Group.
Congratulating the “hundreds of outstanding professionals who contributed to a great critical design review, Prindle said he was “looking forward to continuing great teamwork between NAVAIR, N88 – the Navy’s air warfare requirements office, and the fleet, to move P-8 successfully in to the next phase.”
Tom Laux, program executive officer for Air Anti-submarine Warfare, Assault and Special Mission Platforms, stressed the importance of this milestone for the Fleet.
“The critical design review is just that – critical,” said Laux. “It’s objective evidence [that] the Boeing/Government team continues to make progress towards delivering this essential capability to the warfighter in a timely and cost effective manner.”
Poseidon fuselages will be built in Wichita, Kansas and then transferred to Boeing’s commercial division in Seattle, for the wing and tail assemblies. The nearly complete aircraft will then move to the Integrated Defense System line for completion and delivery to the Navy.
“I am extremely proud of the NAVAIR/Boeing team,” said Capt. Joe Rixey, NAVAIR’s Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft program manager. “This is an indication of the solid teaming between the program office, competencies, Navy leadership and industry. The team is ready to build!” he added.
The program will seek approval this summer from Dr. Delores Etter, assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, in a program readiness review, to build two test aircraft before the next milestone decision to enter full-rate production of the Poseidon.
Testing will be performed here by Test and Evaluation Squadron 20 (VX-20) and VX-1.
“This is a transformational program and an acquisition approach unlike any other. This is the first time the Navy will use an existing production line integrating both commercial and Navy aircraft, providing both time and cost reduction by not constructing a Navy-specific line,” said Capt. Mike Moran, leader of NAVAIR’s P-8 program. “I am confident in, and proud of, the dedicated, integrated team that is motivated and committed to executing this program successfully. We are ready to provide a new generation in maritime mission capability to the fleet we serve.”
The P-8 program plans to provide 108 Poseidon aircraft to aviators beginning in 2013.
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