#1410 P-8A Poseidon
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1410 - 168754, P-8A Poseidon, Patrol Squadron THIRTY 'VP-30', NAS Jacksonville, Florida. Patrol Squadron THIRTY (VP-30), the "Pro's Nest" is the U.S. Navy's single-site Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS). VP-30’s mission is to provide aircraft-specific training for Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers (NFO) and enlisted aircrewmen prior to reporting to the fleet. VP-30 is the Navy’s largest aviation squadron boasting more than 1,100 staff personnel, that directly or indirectly train over 700 officer and enlisted personnel annually. Foreign military personnel from the United Kingdom, Germany, Pakistan, Norway, Netherlands, Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan Navy have received specific aircrew training on P-3 or P-8 operations and systems. VP-30 was commissioned in June 1960 at NAS Jacksonville, Florida to train flight crews for P-5 Marlin and P-2 Neptune aircraft. In June 1963, VP-30 Detachment ALFA was formed at Patuxent River, Maryland to begin training in the newly introduced P-3 Orion. Growth of VP-30 Detachment ALFA soon became significant enough that the squadron homeport was changed to NAS Patuxent River in 1966. Flight operations continued at NAS Jacksonville until P-2 aircraft were phased out of service in December 1968. June 1969 marked the beginning of P-3C training and its modern computerized data processing equipment. In 1970, VP-30 assumed training for P-3 maintenance personnel with the Fleet Readiness Aviation Maintenance Program (FRAMP). From March-August 1975, VP-30 returned to its present homeport of NAS Jacksonville. In August 1991 the command was designated a Major Shore Command as the Maritime Patrol Community FRS. VP-30 accepted its first Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft in March of 2012 to begin training officers, enlisted aircrewmen and maintenance technicians on the new airframe while concurrently maintaining training requirements as the P-3 FRS. Eleven Royal Air Force personnel have been employed on VP-30, from July 2012, as part of Project Seedcorn. They comprise two pilots, four Weapon Systems Officers and five Weapons Systems Operators (three Electronic Warfare and two Acoustic operators). The P-8A is a land based militarized version of the Boeing 737-800. Powered by two CFM56-7B turbofan engines producing 27,000 lbs. of thrust each, the P-8A has a strengthened fuselage, wings with 767-400ER-style raked wingtips, and six additional body fuel tanks for extended range. A Maximum Takeoff Weight of 189,200 lbs., the P-8A cruises at 440 kts and has a Service Ceiling of 41,000 feet and mission radius of 1,200 nm. The flight crew consists of two pilots and five operator stations (two NFO, plus three enlisted Aviation Warfare Operators/Naval Aircrewman). The P-8A features multi-mission sensors and capabilities including surface search radar, bomb bay for torpedoes and other stores behind the wing. Additional racks on the exterior of the aircraft are capable of carrying a variety of munitions. The aircraft is equipped to carry more than a hundred sonar buoys as well as various maritime markers and signals.