U.S.’ Poseidon Plane Gets Test Run in Singapore Military Exercise

TODAY

05 August 2014

A United States surveillance plane is joining Singapore’s military in exercises as the navy tests the aircraft’s capabilities after the Pentagon found it ineffective at some tasks.

The P-8A Poseidon, a Boeing 737-800 modified with radar and sensors, is conducting anti-submarine and surface warfare sorties as part of the CARAT Singapore manoeuvres that end on Aug 8, said mission commander Lieutenant-Commander Colette Lazenka.

The aircraft, still in its testing phase, is faster and has more advanced systems than the Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion, Lt-Cmdr Lazenka said. Flaws in the US$35 billion (S$43.6 billion) P-8A programme included radar performance, sensor integration and data transfer, said a Pentagon report obtained by Bloomberg News in January.

… “Its main advantages are range, endurance and speed — three things that are especially important in covering such a large area as the Pacific and Indian oceans,” said Mr Richard Bitzinger, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

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