The P-8A multi-mission maritime aircraft was assigned its popular name and will now be known as P-8A Poseidon.

Historically, the names of Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft have been taken from Greek mythology. The P-8A’s predecessors were the P-2 Neptune and P-3 Orion. Poseidon’s association with dominance of the seas, and protection for all that serve on it, unquestionably represent the capabilities the P-8A will bring to the Navy.

“As with everything we do, we solicited inputs from the end-user to determine the best name for the P-8A,” said Capt. Joe Rixey, NAVAIR’s Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program manager. “We are very excited to announce Poseidon as the identification for this essential weapon system that the warfighter will use to patrol and protect the open waters well into the 21st century.”

The P-8A Poseidon is the Navy’s replacement platform for the P-3C Orion, securing the Navy’s future in long-range patrol. The primary mission of the P-8A is to provide persistent anti-submarine warfare. In addition, the Poseidon will contribute to anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance warfighting capabilities as defined in the Sea Shield and FORCEnet elements of the Navy’s Sea Power 21.

The program is currently in the detailed design phase of system design and development. Initial operating capability is scheduled for 2013 with full operational capability planned for 2019.