Aircraft of RIMPAC: P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher Crawford | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii (July 28, 2022) – Combined Task Force 172 poses for a group photo during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022, July 28. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, three submarines, and more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Christopher J. Crawford)  

PACIFIC OCEAN

08.01.2022

Story by Maj. Kiri Ohlson 

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

There are over 170 aircraft, over 30 different aircraft types, from eight different nations participating in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Three of those nations are operating the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.

RIMPAC is the world’s premier joint and combined maritime exercise, but it includes more than just ships and submarines. There are over one-hundred and seventy aircraft involved in RIMPAC 2022 from eight different nations.

Aircraft have been used throughout RIMPAC for maritime surveillance, air movements from land to ship, and ship to ship transporting people and supplies between different platforms. These movements are an integral part of the mission, and require capable adaptive partnerships, interoperability, coordination and effective communication between air and maritime assets from all 26 countries participating in RIMPAC 2022.

Over 30 different aircraft types participating in RIMPAC have operated at sea, from and between more than a dozen ships. Interchangeability between nations is fostered by exercises such as RIMPAC which promote international partnerships. Several nations are operating the same aircraft types at RIMPAC, such as the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The United States Navy, Indian Navy, and Royal Australian Air Force P-8s are participating in RIMPAC 2022, and New Zealand are set to receive their P-8 aircraft later this year.

The P-8 Poseidon conducts anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. It is also used for environmental monitoring, search and rescue, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, as well as protection of Pacific fisheries through maritime surveillance.

The Combined Forces Air Component Command Deputy is Royal Australian Air Force Group Captain Paul Carpenter.

“For many decades, the Royal Australian Air Force has conducted maritime patrols throughout the Pacific to preserve the integrity of the region’s fisheries and to protect the environment by identifying and reporting polluting vessels,” said Carpenter.

Commodore Jonathan Voorheis, from the United States Navy, is the commander of Combined Task Force 172.

“Having the same platform as other nations dramatically increases interoperability between nations both in the air and on the ground. Having the same fuel and de-ice, the same parts and spacing requirements for parking can mean all the difference in a successful detachment with other nations,” said Voorheis. “In the air, having similar operating ranges, altitudes, speeds, frequencies and sensors greatly enhances team work.”

Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, three submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

• Date Taken: 08.01.2022
• Date Posted: 08.02.2022 17:47
• Story ID: 426267
• Location: PACIFIC OCEAN