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Aircraft · Air

P-8A Poseidon

Maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft with antisubmarine and antisurface warfare missions.

by Boeing · Unveiled Jul 30, 2009 · First fielded 2013

FieldedAircraftAirInitial operating capabilityNov 2013
navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2166300/p-8a-poseidon-multi-mission-maritime-aircraft-mma
A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon test aircraft in flight over Chesapeake Bay

Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Greg L. Davis · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Navy) · Resized and reencoded as WebP; no additional crop.

Milestones20092013
  1. UnveiledP-8A Poseidon formally unveiled, confirmed
  2. Initial operating capabilityP-8A initial operational capability, confirmed

Timeline2

  1. UnveiledConfirmed

    P-8A Poseidon formally unveiled

    Formal rollout ceremony at Renton; event date is established by the release dateline and “today”.

    SourcesBoeing

  2. Initial operating capabilityConfirmed

    P-8A initial operational capability

    SourcesP-8A Poseidon | NAVAIR

Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Operators1

  • USUnited States
First fielded
2013

Sources4

  1. 1.
    OtherInside NATO’s Secret Hunt for Enemy Submarines

    Sam Eckholm · Aug 1, 2025 · Supports: System · name

    “P-8 Poseidon”
  2. 2.
    CompanyBoeing Rolls Out US Navy's P-8A Poseidon

    Boeing · Jul 30, 2009 · Supports: System milestone

    “and the U.S. Navy today formally unveiled the service's newest maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, the P-8A Poseidon, during a ceremony at the Boeing facility in Renton, Wash.”
  3. 3.
    Government recordP-8A Poseidon | NAVAIR

    Supports: System · first fielded year, System · operator countries, System milestone

    “Initial Operational Capabilities (IOC) date: November 2013”
  4. 4.
    Government recordP-8A Poseidon Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) > United States Navy > Display-FactFiles

    Supports: System

    “The P-8A Poseidon is the U.S. Navy's multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.”

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