Tue, Aug 03, 2010
T3 First Flew July 29
P-8A Poseidon aircraft T3 successfully completed its first
flight test in Seattle on July 29. T3 is the P-8A program's
mission-system and weapon-certification aircraft.
Poseidon T3 First Flight
During the two-hour and 48-minute flight from Boeing Field,
Boeing and U.S. Navy test pilots performed airborne systems checks
including engine accelerations and decelerations, autopilot flight
modes, and auxiliary power unit and engine shutdowns and starts. In
the coming weeks, T3 will join the two P-8A test aircraft currently
at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and complete additional
ground and flight tests.
"At Pax River, the Boeing and Navy team will use some of the
ground test data we've gathered in Seattle for in-flight separation
and delivery accuracy tests that will occur later this year," said
Chris Ahsmann, P-8A chief engineer for Boeing.
T3 is one of six flight-test aircraft that are being assembled
and tested as part of the U.S. Navy System Development and
Demonstration contract Boeing received in 2004. Airworthiness-test
aircraft T1 entered flight test in October 2009 and arrived at the
Navy's Patuxent River facility in April of this year. T2, the
primary mission-system test aircraft, arrived at Pax River in
June.
The Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8A anti-submarine warfare,
anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet. Initial operational capability
is planned for 2013.
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