MPA UK - P-8 high on the list + Triton - Flight Intl.

The Indian P-8I - Photo by Boeing

As the UK nears the release of its next Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) in October, the pressure on the government to answer a number of questions surrounding capability gaps and needed upgrades continues to Mount.

 



Elsewhere, aircraft manufacturers continue to hold out on the SDSR for more transparency on what capability will fill the UK’s maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) gap, which was left by the cancellation of BAE's Nimrod MRA4 in the 2010 review.

Tensions emanating from Russia have highlighted the need that an island nation like the UK has for such a capability, and pressure continues to be laid on the government to provide a Nimrod replacement.

An obvious – and likely – choice is the Boeing 737-based P-8 Poseidon that is operated by the US and Indian navies, and is also on order for the Royal Australian Air Force.

While arguably the most capable candidate MPA available, there would be a high financial cost associated with such a deal, but it is believed to be high on the MoD's equipment wish list.

Although the P-8 appears to be in a preferred position, it faces competition, as other manufacturers are offering adapted airframes for the yet-to-be-formalised requirement. These include Lockheed Martin, with a modified C-130J tactical transport, Airbus Defence & Space with its C295, and a potentially surprise contender in the form of the Kawasaki P-1. The Japanese aircraft made its international debut in the UK in July, when a pair of the four-engined type attended the Royal International Air Tattoo in an attempt to showcase its capabilities to the nation's military.

One indication of the wants of the MoD could be the continuation of its Seedcorn effort: a programme that sees UK personnel integrated with international units, including the US Navy, where they support operations with the P-8 and the US Navy's in-development Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton unmanned air vehicle.

The Seedcorn initiative has been extended for a further three years, it was revealed in July, meaning that the UK will be able to maintain its MPA know-how, but also gain direct experience on the P-8 ahead of a potential acquisition of the aircraft.

RAF personnel assigned to the P-8 have the largest footprint in Seedcorn, with 20 allocated to operating the type, the service says.

Meanwhile, Northrop remains hopeful that the UK’s maritime patrol gap will lead to prospects for the company with its maritime high-altitude UAV.

Northrop has not been shy in expressing its interest in the UK as a potential customer for the Triton, and as the release of the review nears, the company tells Flight International that it is anticipating any indication of what the nation's future maritime patrol aircraft mix is expected to look like.

“SDSR is ongoing and we’re watching that very closely. We’re hoping that they’ll get an MPA out of it,” Drew Flood, the company's Triton programme executive for Europe, says.

Leveraging on the hope that the UK does acquire the P-8, if it were to follow in the footsteps of the USN and Australia, then a mixed Poseidon/Triton fleet could meet its maritime needs.

“We’re sitting and waiting,” Flood notes. He adds that it cannot be determined if a decision on a potential high-altitude, long-endurance UAV purchase could come about in this SDSR – or the one that will follow in the next iteration in five years’ time.