Boeing P-8A Poseidon (MRA Mk.1) (RAF)

[SKB]

RAF Poseidon Life Raft Sea Drills

(Royal Air Force) 7th February 2023

[S M H]

I have recovered the life raft dropped by Shackleton. Nimrod and Hercules. With the withdrawal of the Hercules. The P8 would have to be the operation requirement. The recovery was done by a Air Support Craft. .

[SW1]

I have recovered the life raft dropped by Shackleton. Nimrod and Hercules. With the withdrawal of the Hercules. The P8 would have to be the operation requirement. The recovery was done by a Air Support Craft. .

A400m has already taken over the lift raft dropping from the Hercules when it took over the Falklands task from the Hercules several years ago.

[Ian Hall]

[G White]

Not seen this before - Stingray for Poseidon

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/ra ... don-fleet/

[Timmymagic]

Not seen this before - Stingray for Poseidon

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/ra ... don-fleet/

The interesting thing will be if a wing kit is developed for it....

[Jdam]

A bit more from the link G White posted.

The MOD has chosen the UK manufactured Sting Ray Torpedo as its future torpedo capability alongside continued use of the United States Navy Mk54 weapon on the RAF’s Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

The programme to integrate Sting Ray Mod 1 on to Poseidon is now under way,

The fact that it say under way and not just "being considered" or "reviewing stockpiles" or "discussions are being had" is great to hear.

[new guy]

mk54 was always planned as the intermediary.

[mrclark303]

Not seen this before - Stingray for Poseidon

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/ra ... don-fleet/

The interesting thing will be if a wing kit is developed for it....

Sounds like a good idea, we really do need another 3 Poseidon to make a viable fleet.

I really hope they don't manage to make integrating Stingray a £500 million song and dance routine!

[GarethDavies1]

Wow actually a sound and sensible decision!

[SW1]

Not seen this before - Stingray for Poseidon

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/ra ... don-fleet/

The interesting thing will be if a wing kit is developed for it....

Sounds like a good idea, we really do need another 3 Poseidon to make a viable fleet.

I really hope they don't manage to make integrating Stingray a £500 million song and dance routine!

Agreed on both points.

I see our Canadian cousins have finalised an agreement to buy 14 for $5.9bn USD. Plus options for another two. Bombardier naturally spitting blood as there hasn't been a competition.

[serge750]

Wow actually a sound and sensible decision!

Truth is it never made any sense to use Mk.54. It seriously underperforms compared to Stingray Mod 1, and torpedo's are massively expensive....we've got literally hundreds of Stingray in stock already...with T26 not getting MTLS we've got huge numbers of unused weapons.

[SD67]

Not seen this before - Stingray for Poseidon

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/ra ... don-fleet/

The interesting thing will be if a wing kit is developed for it....

Sounds like a good idea, we really do need another 3 Poseidon to make a viable fleet.

I really hope they don't manage to make integrating Stingray a £500 million song and dance routine!

Please excuse my ignorance, but how much integration does a torp really need? Dont you just drop in on a referenced location and then it does the rest?

[SD67]

Not seen this before - Stingray for Poseidon

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/ra ... don-fleet/

The interesting thing will be if a wing kit is developed for it....

Sounds like a good idea, we really do need another 3 Poseidon to make a viable fleet.

I really hope they don't manage to make integrating Stingray a £500 million song and dance routine!

Please excuse my ignorance, but how much integration does a torp really need? Dont you just drop in on a referenced location and then it does the rest?

[tomuk]

Wow actually a sound and sensible decision!

Truth is it never made any sense to use Mk.54. It seriously underperforms compared to Stingray Mod 1, and torpedo's are massively expensive....we've got literally hundreds of Stingray in stock already...with T26 not getting MTLS we've got huge numbers of unused weapons.

It does when you need to integrate the torpedo to the launch platform and Mk54 already exists.

[tomuk]

Not seen this before - Stingray for Poseidon

https://www.raf.mod.uk/news/articles/ra ... don-fleet/

The interesting thing will be if a wing kit is developed for it....

Sounds like a good idea, we really do need another 3 Poseidon to make a viable fleet.

I really hope they don't manage to make integrating Stingray a £500 million song and dance routine!

Please excuse my ignorance, but how much integration does a torp really need? Dont you just drop in on a referenced location and then it does the rest?

On P8 because it flies higher than Nimrod you can't just drop the torpedo it needs wings.

[Timmymagic]

Wow actually a sound and sensible decision!

Truth is it never made any sense to use Mk.54. It seriously underperforms compared to Stingray Mod 1, and torpedo's are massively expensive....we've got literally hundreds of Stingray in stock already...with T26 not getting MTLS we've got huge numbers of unused weapons.

It does when you need to integrate the torpedo to the launch platform and Mk54 already exists.

It's the combat system that is the main integration challenge, not mounting in an internal bay and release.

The Combat System in P-8 is essentially the same as MRA.4...

[Timmymagic]

On P8 because it flies higher than Nimrod you can't just drop the torpedo it needs wings.

And yet 10 years after P-8's IOC it still does not have that capability...

[new guy]

On P8 because it flies higher than Nimrod you can't just drop the torpedo it needs wings.

And yet 10 years after P-8's IOC it still does not have that capability...

It does with MK54.

[SD67]

Yes the point stands though, that the requirement to integrate Stingray should have been specified and costed into the original PIN / ITT.

Except that there never was a Tender because for about the 300th time Boeing were handed a juicy contract without a competition. But hey it's progress, fair play to the RAF at least they're not just rolling over like Army on AH64/Brimstone.

[new guy]

Yes the point stands though, that the requirement to integrate Stingray should have been specified and costed into the original PIN / ITT.

Except that there never was a Tender because for about the 300th time Boeing were handed a juicy contract without a competition. But hey it's progress, fair play to the RAF at least they're not just rolling over like Army on AH64/Brimstone.

At least we only leased the few MK54 from the US, leaves little room for an interim to have an additional batch making it full term

Plus, the USN probably wouldn't care if we shot one as long as it sunk, deterred or damaged a Russian sub. It would be a rounding error with benefits for them.

[Timmymagic]

It does with MK54.

HAAWC has entered IOC but only a handful have been produced to date...it took 10 years for it to arrive. Other aspects of high altitude ASW are yet to be delivered...