Want to Buy a Bomber or 'Missile Truck'? America's P-8 Poseidon Might Be Best Around.

Sebastien Roblin

Security,

And, technically, it's not even a bomber. 

A January 28, 2020 solicitation by the Naval Air Systems Command indicating it may modify its P-8 Poseidon patrol planes to carry a wide range of long-range missiles, mines and bombs has brought about an epiphany of sorts in the defense analysis community: the sea-warfare service appeared to be gearing up to convert its fleet of 122 submarine-hunting patrol planes into bombers—and moreover, a bomber based on the Boeing 737 airliner!

The reason that’s possible for a modified airliner to become a deadly weapons platform today is that new glide bombs and missiles allow an airplane to fly well outside the range of enemy air defense weapons and still unleash devastating standoff-range attacks. 

All that’s needed is a large “missile truck” that can carry a lot of fuel of weapons, as well as the sensors and datalinks to acquire and engage targets. 

For that reason, I wrote in a 2017 profile of the P-8 that there was a distinct possibility the Navy might adapt its submarine-hunters to serve as a sort of B-52 bomber substitute. 

But there’s another interesting implication in the decision to adapt the P-8: the U.S. might effectively have an export bomber on its hands for the first time in decades.

The overlap between bombers and maritime patrol planes focused on tracking and attacking enemy ships and submarines, and bombers, dates back to World War I.