The P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol reconnaissance aircraft – Training for German naval aviators in the USA

After almost 20 years of faithful service to Germany, the P-3C Orion will be retired. The Bundeswehr has procured the new P-8A Poseidon for sea surveillance and antisubmarine warfare to replace the veteran aircraft. The U.S. Navy is training the German crews in Florida before the first aircraft arrives in Germany.

"This is my first flight with the P-8A," says Lieutenant Anna B.* The 30-year-old has been a member of the naval aviators for a while but so far, she has been flying the “grande dame” of the air fleet: the P-3C Orion. For the next six months, she will learn how to operate the latest acquisition of the naval aviators: the P-8A Poseidon.

Generation change: P-8A to succeed P-3C

There are two generations of naval aircraft behind these abbreviations. In military jargon, they are referred to as MPRA, short for Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft. The P-3C Orion was developed in the 1960s to detect, locate and engage submarines. Even after the Cold War, the P-3C was still in demand for its reconnaissance capabilities, for example during Operation Atalanta at the Horn of Africa where the Bundeswehr employed the aircraft to combat piracy.

The P-3C was introduced to the Bundeswehr in 2006. The fleet has been shrinking for several years though: The last two of initially eight aircraft are now facing their final days in service. The propeller aircraft will be succeeded by the P-8A Poseidon; the Bundeswehr has ordered a total of eight of these aircraft in an expedited procurement process. Commander Phillipp W. is sure that this was the right decision. The experienced aircraft operations officer was deployed to seven Atalanta missions with the naval aviators, and has been an instructor for eight years.

“The P-3C and the P-8A are poles apart,” says the 39-year-old. The new aircraft is fully digitized, enabling the crew to accomplish more tasks within less time. Instead of outdated computer technology from the 1980s, it provides livestream capabilities and high-speed data transfers as well as state-of-the-art satellite communication. Thanks to automated communication and navigation procedures, the crew has more capacities available for their actual tasks: sea surveillance and antisubmarine warfare.

Training with the U.S. Navy in Florida

The Bundeswehr will receive its first P-8A at the home base of the naval aviators in Nordholz, Germany, this year. However, the future crews must be trained before anyone in Germany is able to fly and operate the aircraft. This is why the Bundeswehr has sent its personnel to Jacksonville, Florida, where they will undergo six months of training on their future working equipment with the U.S. Navy. The U.S. Navy has been using the P-8A for 15 years now – good for the German Navy that can build on this experience.

Anna B. is one of the trainees. She started conversion training a couple of weeks ago. At her home base in Nordholz, she was a tactical officer for navigation and communication – NavCom – for the P-3C but she says that extensive conversion training was necessary to handle the P-8A. “The P-8A is a different platform than the P-3C, much more modern and advanced, but the mission remains the same.” Nevertheless, “In the past, we used to learn how to handle paper maps and massive tomes of regulations. Now, the focus is on mastering the complex technology on board. This takes time." The training also includes emergency procedures and the tactical application of the systems, such as adjusting the radar or dropping torpedoes and sonar buoys.

Fishy smell and white smoke

Germany does not just profit from the training the soldiers receive from their American comrades. In turn, the U.S. Navy is also provided with experienced instructors like Philipp W. During a training flight, he explains various scenarios to his “charges” and how naval aviators should react to them. For example, a fishy smell may be caused by a smoldering cable. Black smoke could be the result of a fire in the air conditioning. White smoke, however, points to other causes of fire. If this is the case, everything has to run like clockwork when things get serious to avoid wasting time and prevent the fire from spreading.

P-8A newbie Anna B. has to memorize all the steps and procedures – and that is just the basic knowledge. Provided that she passes the exam in Jacksonville, she will return to Germany to undergo further in-depth training. In addition, the techniques and procedures of the German Navy must be trained and practiced in cooperation with the NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization partners.

Antisubmarine warfare is more important than ever

There is more to maritime patrol than its name suggests. With the help of the aircraft’s sensors, such as radar and sonar, the soldiers on board compile a surface and subsurface picture, for example to detect enemy submarines or ships. The crew drops sonar buoys and uses a sophisticated procedure to locate submarines and track their movements underwater. If an enemy submarine poses an unacceptable threat, the crew may even have to sink it firing one of the five torpedoes on board.

Conversion training to be completed soon

Every few months, Commander Philipp W. welcomes new German trainees to Jacksonville. There are many men and women who require training on the new aircraft – each with a slightly different schedule depending on their workplace. The last crews are expected to complete their training with the U.S. Navy in Jacksonville by mid-2026. Over the next few years, more P-8A carrying the lettering of the German Navy will land in Nordholz, and Anna B. and her comrades will be able to apply what they have learned in Florida flying over the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

*    All names have been shortened to protect the identities of Bundeswehr personnel.

by Hannes Lembke