German Navy does not receive used French MPAs

The German Navy is currently struggling to find a successor for its Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPAs) in the near future. The Navy currently operates a fleet of four P-3Cs, which were taken over in used condition from the Dutch Navy in 2006. The original plan was for these aircraft to fly into the 2030s before being replaced by a modern aircraft to be developed jointly with France. However, the current poor condition of the German P-3C makes a much earlier replacement necessary. There was talk of an "interim solution" to bridge the gap until the introduction of the Franco-German MPA, which has yet to be developed. Paris had offered to sell or lease four used Dassault Atlantique 2 aircraft to Germany for this purpose. These aircraft, which had been in service with the French armed forces since 1989, were to be converted to Standard 6 in advance. Their current condition was not specified, but they were not originally intended by France to be converted to Standard 6.

Boeing P-8A of the US Navy

Now, in response to a question from FDP MP Christian Sauter, Parliamentary State Secretary for Defence Thomas Silberhorn has made a negative statement on the procurement of the thirty-year-old French aircraft: "The number and the expected clear status of the aircraft on offer will not be able to meet the requirements of potential future operational commitments and the needs for regenerating crews and carrying out training and reconnaissance flights in the foreseeable future." This makes an interim solution based on the Atlantique 2 highly unlikely.
Silberhorn also states that a decision on the interim solution should be made "preferably before the end of this legislative period". In the relatively short term, it could therefore come down to the Boeing P-8A Poseidon. This aircraft has been in service with the US Navy since 2012, which now operates more than 100 of the type. A total of 128 are planned. In addition to the Americans, Australia, India and the UK also have the P-8 in partially customised versions. Australia, New Zealand, Norway and South Korea have also decided to purchase them.

View into the Poseidon

Back in 2019, the commander of the Naval Aviation Command, Captain Thorsten Bobzin, had already marine forum (issue 11-2019) spoke out quite clearly in favour of the American P-8A as the successor to the P-3C. Depending on the equipment requirements of the German Navy, the unit price of a Boeing is likely to be between 150 and 200 million dollars.
The advantages of the Poseidon cannot be denied. It is based on Boeing's successful 737 model, the world's best-selling passenger jet. The 737-800 variant, parent of the P-8A, is considered technically mature and reliable. Due to its high global distribution, there are no problems with the supply of spare parts in the long term, and the operating costs are easy to calculate. Thanks to the large number of Poseidons already in service, the navy would be able to operate an aircraft that is fully developed and operationally proven in all aspects.
Should the purchase go ahead, however, it seems questionable whether the P-8 will only be used as an interim solution. The cost of training the crews and introducing the weapon system would probably argue against this. In the event of long-term operation, the Franco-German development project for the successor to the MPA would be at risk.

Cockpit of the P-8A

Text: mb; PhotosUS Navy