Norway’s procurement of five Boeing P-8A Poseidons took a major leap forward on 12 April, with the announcement by the manufacturer that assembly of the first maritime multimission aircraft (MMA) at its facilities near Seattle, Washington, had begun.
The 737-800 fuselage built by Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita, Kansas, arrived by rail at Boeing’s Renton plant on 12 April. It will be mated to 737-900 wings and other flight systems on Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ 737 production line, ahead of delivery to Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security at nearby Puget Sound for the installation of military systems, testing, and customer handover. (Boeing)
The first 737-800 fuselage built by Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita, Kansas, arrived by rail at Boeing’s Renton plant on the same day as the announcement, and some four months after the build began in January.
The fuselage will be mated to 737-900 wings and other flight systems on Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ 737 production line, ahead of delivery to Boeing’s Defense, Space & Security at nearby Puget Sound for the installation of military systems, testing, and customer handover.
The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RoNAF) is to receive its first Poseidon later in 2021, with five aircraft eventually replacing the service’s six ageing Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) and three Dassault Falcon DA-20 Jet Falcon surveillance aircraft.
Norway signed for its five aircraft on 29 March 2017 with the overall programme valued at NOK10 billion (USD1.2 billion), some of which will come from the country’s intelligence services budget. All five P-8As are set to be delivered between 2021 and 2023.
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