N878DS

This airframe, tail number N878DS, is a Boeing P-8A Poseidon delivered in 2025 with manufacturer serial 67448, built by Boeing Defense, Space & Security. The aircraft is owned by the German Navy (Bundeswehr) (government operator, based in Germany) and is registered in the US, a notable registry choice for an internationally operated military maritime patrol asset. Valued at $262,000,000, the airframe carries a mission-configured fit and appears in service with a full mission systems complement; the US registration despite German ownership is a distinctive administrative detail.

The aircraft’s cabin is a mission-configured maritime patrol cabin featuring mission operator consoles, sonobuoy and mission systems integration, and an internal weapons bay tailored to anti-submarine and maritime surveillance roles. Avionics fit for the airframe includes the AN/APY-10 multi-mission surface search radar, AN/ALQ-240 ESM, and provision for the AN/APS-154 Advanced Airborne Sensor as applicable in mission fit, enabling layered detection and classification of surface and subsurface contacts. Typical operations for this P-8A would center on long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare sorties from German naval bases, exploiting a long endurance and extensive sensor suite; maintenance considerations align with heavy-mission avionics cooling and sonobuoy handling systems intrinsic to this mission fit. Seating for nine mission crew supports multi-console operations while the US registration may affect ferry, logistics and support routing during international deployments.

The Boeing P-8A Poseidon family occupies the fixed-wing, multi-engine maritime patrol and ASW niche, offering high cruise speeds and long-range persistence relative to turboprops. Competing platforms typically include converted airframes or niche maritime patrol designs, but the P-8A’s sensor and weapons integration target naval customers requiring networked ASW capabilities. Buyer demand is concentrated among government defense purchasers; resale considerations emphasize mission systems removal or transferability and lifecycle sustainment of the CFM56-7B engines and specialized mission avionics. Maintenance cycles and obsolescence management for sensors such as the AN/APY-10 and AN/APS-154 are key resale and long-term sustainment factors.