Eau de politician washed off shiny new jet

On 17 November 2016 the first RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft landed at RAAF Base Edinburgh – and the first order of business was to wash the eau de politician off the new aircraft.

CAPTION: A47-001 the first RAAF Poseidon aircraft gets a water canon welcome to its home Base, RAAF Base Edinburgh. Photo by Corporal Craig Barrett.

The jet is the first of 12 P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft that will arrive at the base over the next couple of years.

This first delivery had the misfortune to undergo a politicians’ welcome to country in Canberra on 16 November, before flying on to its new home in South Australia, where a comprehensive birdbath awaited.

The Poseidon uses advanced sensors and mission systems, including advanced multi-role radar, high definition cameras, and an acoustic system with four times the processing capacity of Air Force’s current AP-3C Orion.

Together with the MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAS), the P-8A aircraft will gradually replace the AP-3C Orions which are due for withdrawal in 2018-19. However in the meantime the AP-3C will continue to play an important role. .

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