Boeing chooses Bombardier Challenger 605 long-range business jet as small export version of P-8 Poseidon plane
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, 24 Nov. 2013. Maritime surveillance experts ast the Boeing Co. Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis are choosing the Challenger 605 business jet from Bombardier Aerospace in Montreal as the airframe for the planned Boeing Maritime Surveillance Aircraft (MSA) program for international export.
The Boeing MSA program offers to provide the global market with an affordable maritime surveillance system based on Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon mission system technology. Boeing made the announcement this past week at the Dubai Air Show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 605 can fly as fast as 476 knots, cruises at 459 knots, has a range of 3,366 nautical miles, and can fly as high as 41,000 feet. In its business jet configuration it can fly a crew of two and as many as 19 passengers. The aircraft is 68.5 feet long, has a wingspan of 64.3 feet, and is 20.7 feet tall.
Boeing teammate Field Aviation in Van Nuys, Calif., will modify the Challenger 605 business jet to the MSA maritime patrol and surveillance configuration.
Boeing first hinted at a plan to build a relatively small export version of the P-8A maritime patrol jet in July 2012 at the Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, England.
Field Aviation is currently modifying a Boeing-owned Challenger 604 jet into an MSA demonstrator aircraft that will complete ground and flight testing of the mission systems and be presented to potential customers in 2014.
MSA incorporates technologies developed for the P-8A Poseidon, the U.S. Navy’s newest anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance system based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane.
The full-size Boeing U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon is nearly twice the size of the Challenger 605, and has a similar speed and service ceiling, yet its 1,200-nautical-mile range is nearly four times longer than the Challenger 605.
For more information contact Boeing Defense, Space & Security online at www.boeing.com/boeing/bds, or Bombardier Aerospace at www.bombardier.com.
John Keller | Editor-in-Chief
John Keller is the Editor-in-Chief, Military & Aerospace Electronics Magazine--provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronics and optoelectronic technologies in military, space and commercial aviation applications. John has been a member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since 1989 and chief editor since 1995.
