Attack submarines are returning to seas around the world, presenting a growing threat to America and its allies.
The good news? There’s an answer to this emerging threat – the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft.
The P-8 is the ultimate sub-hunting military aircraft. Built by Boeing, the P-8 carries extra fuel tanks and a variety of state-of-the-art sensors – but that’s not all that makes the P-8 special.
The P-8 can effectively detect submarines from an elevation of up to 41,000 feet – which is higher than the cruising altitude on most commercial airplanes. Michael Fabey, author of “Crashback,” a 2017 book about China-US tensions in the Pacific, described the effectiveness of the P-8’s sensors, “I went up on a training flight,” he said, “and basically…they could read the insignia on a sailor’s hat from thousands of feet above.”
The P-8 isn’t just a recon aircraft – it can also engage any adversarial submarines it tracks. And it can track and report on more targets than ever before. This sub hunter’s weapons systems include Harpoon anti-ship missiles, torpedoes and more.
In the face of growing global threats, there’s never been a more important time for advanced capabilities like the P-8 to protect our global waters.