Mon, Mar 14, 2011
Delivery On Track For 2012
Final assembly has gotten underway on the first Navy P-8A
Poseidon production aircraft in the Boeing's Renton factory. The
P-8A is the first of six low-rate initial production aircraft that
Boeing is building as part of a $1.6 billion contract awarded by
the Navy in January. The Navy plans to purchase 117 of the Boeing
737-based P-8A anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare,
intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to replace
its P-3 fleet.
Poseidon Final Production
“Boeing will deliver this first aircraft to the Navy on
schedule in 2012 in preparation for initial operational capability,
which is planned for 2013,” said Chuck Dabundo, Boeing vice
president and P-8 program manager. “Our team has built seven
P-8A test aircraft to date and the process improvements and
efficiencies we’ve incorporated will continue to help reduce
costs as the program moves forward.”
The Poseidon team is using a first-in-industry in-line
production process that draws on Boeing’s Next-Generation 737
production system. All aircraft modifications unique to the P-8A
are made in sequence during fabrication and assembly. The start of
final assembly follows Spirit AeroSystems’ delivery of the
P-8A fuselage to Boeing. The fuselage arrived via rail car on March
7 and was loaded into a tooling fixture. Boeing workers have begun
installing systems, wires and other small parts.
File Photo
“We’re excited to transition from the development
airplanes to production,” said John Pricco, Boeing Commercial
Airplanes P-8 program manager. “Our team’s tremendous
work has put us in a good position as we ramp up to build both the
P-8A for the United States and the P-8I for India.”
Boeing was awarded a System Development and Demonstration
contract in 2004 to build and test six flight-test and two
ground-test P-8A aircraft. The first three flight-test planes --
T1, T2 and T3 -- are completing testing at Naval Air Station
Patuxent River, Md. The program’s static test plane, S1,
completed its test program earlier this year.
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