Nordholz – Now here it is: the Navy’s new P-8A “Poseidon” aircraft. The Bundeswehr is preparing for a submarine hunt in the North Atlantic. The P-8A “Poseidon” is a “game changer,” said Sea Capt. Oliver Ottmüller. It is the first of eight aircraft that will gradually be deployed at the Nordholz airbase near Cuxhaven in Lower Saxony.
This machine was intended for use primarily in the strategically important sea area between Greenland, Iceland and Great Britain in the North Atlantic. Russian submarines from the Northern Fleet could enter the Atlantic through the so-called GIUK gap to disrupt the supply of NATO forces in the event of an attack on Europe.
The largest fighter aircraft in the Bundeswehr
Its basis is the Boeing 737. At almost 40 meters long, it is the largest fighter aircraft in the Bundeswehr. The machine is capable of reaching speeds of up to 936 kilometers per hour and flying up to 7,000 kilometers.
This jet can monitor large sea areas, track ship movements and locate submarines using radar, acoustic and optical systems. Sonar buoys can be dropped. Submarines can be countered with torpedoes or depth charges. The Bundeswehr trains and maintains the machines together with the United States, United Kingdom, Norway And Australia. The Navy emphasized the importance of modern reconnaissance jets for cooperation in this area Nato.
Eleven soldiers per crew
Poseidon was intended to reinforce the naval aviation squadron at Nordholz. The crew has been training with partner nations for months and consists of eleven soldiers: three pilots, two tactical coordinators and three “surface and underwater sensor operators.”
Purchase decision was made in 2021. All machines will be delivered in 2028. Poseidon – named after the god of the sea in Greek mythology. This aircraft replaces an older model called the P-3C Orion. “A generational change is happening,” says Ottmüller. Maritime patrol aircraft have been in use for almost 20 years and… sea particularly in the Horn of Africa, the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea.
