P‑8 Poseidon patrol plane crash. Aircraft plunges into water
An accident involving a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft from the US Navy occurred during landing on the island of Oʻahu in the Hawaiian archipelago. The plane, with its entire crew on board, veered off the runway and plunged into the water.
2:06 PM EST, November 22, 2023
Initial reports suggesting injuries among the aviators turned out unfounded. An official statement confirms that nine people were on board, yet no one was injured. Emergency services are now primarily focused on securing the aircraft to prevent fuel leakage and potential contamination of the water.
Given the presumably minor damage, there is optimism that the aircraft will be repaired and returned to service once recovered from the water.
About the Boeing P-8 Poseidon Patrol Aircraft
The Boeing P-8 Poseidon, a military adaptation of the Boeing 737 passenger aircraft, is designed for patrol and maritime combative duties. Developed as a successor to the Lockheed P-3 Orion, Poseidon served as a key maritime patrol aircraft throughout the Cold War and the early 21st century.
Work on this new maritime patrol aircraft began in the United States back in the 1980s. However, with the dissolution of the Eastern Bloc, and the resulting decline in Soviet fleet activity, the development of such an aircraft ceased to be a top priority.
Poseidon first took flight in 2009. Since then, about 150 aircraft, each costing around $150 million and configured according to specific customer needs, have been purchased. Besides maritime patrols, these aircraft are also designed for combat operations, thanks to 11 hard points (six external and five internal).
Boeing P-8 Poseidon: Armament and Equipment
The aircraft can carry a wide range of armament, including anti-ship missiles AGM-84 Harpoon, anti-radar missiles AGM-88 HARM, maneuvering anti-ship missiles AGM-158C LRASM, as well as torpedoes for combating submarines, depth bombs, and naval mines.
American Poseidons are also equipped with the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability (HAAWC) system. This allows attacking submarines from high-altitude flights, a stark contrast to the traditional approach of low-altitude assaults.
The detection of surface targets is facilitated by the AN/APY-10 radar, which can detect even small targets, such as submarine periscopes, from great distances. For submarine localization, the aircraft deploys sonar buoys from high altitudes.
The Indian variant of the P-8 Poseidon aircraft also features a magnetic anomaly detector to help detect objects hidden beneath the water surface.
