Boeing P-8A team members and Spirit AeroSystems employees have laid the keel beam for New Zealand’s first P-8A.
As reported in the company’s press release, this process, also called «keeling,» took place at the Spirit AeroSystems facility, where all Boeing 737 fuselages, nacelles and pylons are designed and built. Keel laying is a major milestone in the construction of any ship or aircraft and represents the cornerstone of this latest P-8.
Rosemary Banks, New Zealand’s ambassador to the United States, who was on hand to witness the keeling said, “Today’s keeling ceremony is the beginning of a new era for New Zealand’s maritime patrol and response capability. Our four P-8A Poseidons will better equip our defence forces to extend their reach into the Pacific and beyond, working with our partners and friends.”
An aircraft keel runs the length of the belly of the fuselage. The keel beam of a P-8 is different from the typical keel beam of a 737. The P-8 keel includes unique aspects of the P-8 configuration, such as the integration of an internal weapons bay.
The panel and other fuselage components will be completed on Spirit’s existing 737 production line. Spirit will ship the P-8A airframe to Boeing Commercial Airplanes’ Renton, Washington, facility for final assembly. After that, Boeing Defense, Space & Security employees will install mission systems and complete testing prior to delivery to New Zealand later this year.
In total, four Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will eventually replace New Zealand’s current fleet of six aging P-3K2 Orion aircraft, providing advanced capabilities to maintain situational awareness in neighboring waters above and below the ocean’s surface.
The New Zealand Defense Force is a foreign military sales (FMS) customer of the P-8 and is one of eight worldwide customers. Current operators of the P-8 include the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Indian Navy, the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom, the German Armed Forces and the Royal Norwegian Air Force.
Germany bought the 5 P-8A Poseidon in order to replace its P-3C Orion
To date, the worldwide P-8 fleet has accumulated more than 400,000 mishap-free flight hours. The P-8 is a long-range aircraft for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, capable of wide-range maritime and littoral operations. In addition, the P-8 performs humanitarian and search and rescue missions worldwide.
