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The P-8A Poseidon is a land-based maritime patrol aircraft derived from the 737. It combines long-distance transit with sensors and mission systems for surveillance and anti-submarine work.
United StatesRoyal Air Force (RAF) Boeing Poseidon MRA1 (P-8A) 'Sqn Ldr Terence Bulloch DSO DFC' (reg. ZP803) at the Royal International Air Tattoo 2025. Historical equipment reference photograph. It does not establish current availability or every detail of the named variant.
Julian Herzog (Website) · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · Source ↗ · ModifiedMaritime patrol aircraft
United States
Boeing
In service
United States Navy Royal Australian Air Force Indian Navy Royal Air Force
187 as of 31 January 2026
2009–present
November 2013
25 April 2009
Boeing 737 Next Generation
Flight crew: 2; Mission crew: 7
19,800 lb (9,000 kg)
129 ft 5 in (39.47 m)
123 ft 6 in (37.64 m)
42 ft 1 in (12.83 m)
138,300 lb (62,730 kg)
189,200 lb (85,820 kg)
2 × CFM56-7B27A turbofans, 27,300 lbf (121 kN) thrust each
564 mph (907 km/h, 490 kn)
509 mph (815 km/h, 440 kn)
1,383 mi (2,225 km, 1,200 nmi) radius with 4 hours on station for anti-submarine warfare mission
5,200 mi (8,300 km, 4,500 nmi)
41,000 ft (12,500 m)
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The system in detail
The airframe uses raked wingtips, reinforced structures and a weapons bay. Its external appearance differs from both a passenger 737 and the Indian P-8I mission configuration.1
Radar, electro-optical sensing and sonobuoy processing support complementary search tasks. Mission workstations integrate the information; radar range alone cannot describe underwater search performance.1
This record is limited to P-8A. Customer communications, self-protection and later mission-system updates require their own configuration notes.1
Maritime patrol comparisons need transit distance, search altitude and on-station endurance. Cruise range alone omits the time and equipment needed to investigate contacts.1
P-8A Poseidon equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
AustraliaAir Force exact named equipment holdings: P-8A Poseidon. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / ASW. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Air Force holdings of the exact named P-8A Poseidon component: active, reserve operational and training units, excluding equipment in store. This is a service-scoped observation, not a national total or combat-readiness count. No parent-design, sibling-variant, heading aggregate or mounted-weapon total is inherited.
CanadaNumber column of the Wikipedia list table under "Maritime patrol". The list's own wording applies; it is a compiled secondary source, not an official census.
DenmarkReported count for P-8 Poseidon · P-8A. Service scope: Royal Danish Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct quantity component(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Explicit source inventory scope: ordered; no other stock status or total inferred. Count column(s): in service: +2. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
GermanyP-8A aircraft holdings as of 23 April 2026, explicitly dated in the source to a statement by the Inspector of the Navy. Later expected deliveries and the overall purchase contract are excluded. Specialist-reported holdings; not an independently audited readiness count.
IndiaReported count for Boeing P-8 · P-8I Neptune. Service scope: Naval Air Arm; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2026), not the article revision. 2026 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
New ZealandAir Force exact named equipment holdings: P-8A Poseidon. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / ASW. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
NorwayAir Force exact named equipment holdings: P-8A Poseidon. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / ASW. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
South KoreaNaval Aviation exact named equipment holdings: P-8A Poseidon. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / ASW. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
United KingdomTotal reported holdings of the named fixed-wing or uncrewed platform, across reported variants. Includes aircraft outside the in-service fleet; not an active-only or readiness count. Platforms included: Poseidon.
Reported count for Boeing P-8 Poseidon MRA.1. Service scope: Royal Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct quantity component(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Explicit source inventory scope: active; no other stock status or total inferred. Count column(s): in service: 9. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2025), not the article revision. Cited source 2025-10-30. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
United StatesNaval Aviation Reserve exact named equipment holdings: P-8A Poseidon. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / ASW. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
United States Navy Royal Australian Air Force Indian Navy Royal Air Force
Equipment reference ↗Reported count for Boeing P-8A Poseidon. Country-wide list; no individual service specified. 1 distinct quantity component(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Explicit source inventory scope: active; no other stock status or total inferred. Count column(s): operational: 3. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Reported count for Boeing P-8 · P-8I Neptune. Service scope: Naval Air Arm; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2026), not the article revision. 2026 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
Reported count for Boeing P-8 · P-8I Neptune. Service scope: Naval Air Arm; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct quantity component(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Explicit source inventory scope: active; no other stock status or total inferred. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Reported count for Boeing P-8 · P-8I Neptune. Service scope: Naval Air Arm; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct quantity component(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Explicit source inventory scope: active; no other stock status or total inferred. Count column(s): in service: 12. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Air Force holdings of the exact named P-8A Poseidon component: active, reserve operational and training units, excluding equipment in store. This is a service-scoped observation, not a national total or combat-readiness count. No parent-design, sibling-variant, heading aggregate or mounted-weapon total is inherited.
Reported count for Boeing P-8 · P-8A. Service scope: Royal New Zealand Air Force; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct quantity component(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Explicit source inventory scope: active; no other stock status or total inferred. Count column(s): in service: 4. Origin: United States. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2023), not the article revision. Cited source 2023-07-19; 2023 cited publication year. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
Reported count for Boeing P-8 Poseidon · P-8A. Service scope: Republic of Korea Navy; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 6. Origin: unstated. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2024), not the article revision. Cited source 2024-07-04. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.
Naval Aviation exact named equipment holdings: P-8A Poseidon. Active, operational-reserve and training units excluding equipment in store; November 2025 IISS assessment. Named service only; no parent-force or national total inferred. Source role: AIRCRAFT / ASW. Original estimates, ranges, reporting names, reserve, lease and employment scopes retained; nested included counts are not added. Missile-system quantities mean launchers, not rounds. No readiness, crew, carried weapon, payload, factory-production or future order count inherited.
Reported count for P-8A Poseidon. Service scope: Navy; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct quantity component(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Explicit source inventory scope: active; no other stock status or total inferred. Count column(s): in service: 118. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.
Reported count for P-8A Poseidon. Service scope: Navy; does not replace a national total. 1 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Excludes retired/reserve/on-order rows. Count column(s): in service: 118. Origin: USA. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. The components do not establish one inventory census date; the stored date is the retrieved source snapshot.