http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-01-02/jacksonville_nas_to_get_42_p_8s (http://www.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2009-01-02/jacksonville_nas_to_get_42_p_8s)
Jacksonville Naval Air Station will be getting 42 of the Navy's new P-8A Multi-Mission Maritime Aircraft when they're rolled out in 2012 to replace the aging P-3.
The Navy official record of decision was announced Friday.
Jacksonville is slated to received five fleet squadrons of six aircraft each as well as a 12-aircraft training squadron. A naval air station in Washington will get four squadrons and a Marine Corps base in Hawaii will get three.
The aircraft should begin entering service by 2012, a process that should take about seven years.
And a quick blurb about the aircraft:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-8_Poseidon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-8_Poseidon)
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The Boeing P-8 Poseidon (formerly the Multimission Maritime Aircraft or MMA) is a military aircraft currently being developed for the United States Navy. It is intended to conduct anti-submarine warfare, shipping interdiction, and to engage in an electronic intelligence (ELINT) role. This will involve carrying torpedoes, depth charges, Harpoon anti-shipping missiles, and other weapons. It will also be able to drop and monitor sonobuoys. It is designed to operate in conjunction with the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle. The P-8 is to be built by Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems division from the 737-800.
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The P-8's predecessor, the Lockheed P-3 Orion ASW aircraft has been in service with the U.S. Navy since 1961.
If the P-8 is even half as successful as the P-3 the country will get its monies worth... :)
Quote from: BridgeTroll on January 02, 2009, 01:12:44 PM
If the P-8 is even half as successful as the P-3 the country will get its monies worth... :)
Also note that the BAMS unmanned dronewill be based at NAS Jax as well. Bams will be a naval version of the globalhawk
Nice!! Thank God the Navy hasn't turned their backs to Jax after getting shafted on the Cecil issue. The recent growth of NAS Jax and Mayport have been and will be extremely beneficial to the local economy.