Australia to Acquire Eight Boeing P-8A

Australia is to acquire eight new Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, to watch over a vast area of ocean and if necessary attack enemy ships and submarines and stopping the flow of asylum seeker boats.
It's expected the first one to be in operational service by 2017.
The P-8A will replace RAAF 19 elderly Lockheed AP-3C Orion. There's an option for four more.
Poseidons are now entering service with the US and Indian navies.
They can be equipped with Harpoon missiles to attack ships and torpedoes and depth charges to attack submarines and conduct search and rescue missions.
In Australian service, the new Poseidons will eventually operate in conjunction with proposed Triton unmanned surveillance aircraft.
As a new aircraft, the Poseidon has experienced problems, with the Pentagon last month deeming US Navy Poseidons ineffective at their primary jobs of reconnaissance and submarine hunting because of problems with the radar and other systems.
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