#1546 P-8A Poseidon
Description
Squadron Prints Lithograph No. 1546 - 169346, P-8A Poseidon, Patrol Squadron FOUR SIX 'VP-46', NAS Whitbey Island, Washington.
VP-46 is the oldest continuously operating Patrol Squadron in the United States Navy. Since its commissioning in 1931 in Coco Solo, Panama as VP-5S, the squadron has undergone eight name changes and flown 13 different type model series aircraft. In July 1943, as VP-32 and flying the PBM-3 Mariner, the squadron sank three German U-boats in two weeks. After World War II, the squadron operated in the South Pacific as VP-MS-6, supporting atomic bomb testing during Operations Crossroads and Sandstone. During the Korean War, now designated VP-46 and flying the PBM-5 Mariner, the squadron was the first seaplane outfit to conduct combat aerial patrols off the China coast and Formosa Strait. The first West Coast squadron to transition to the P-3 Orion, VP-46 saw action in Vietnam, and later in the Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm). VP-46 flew extensive overland reconnaissance sorties in the skies above Iraq and Afghanistan in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Most recently VP-46 supported Operations Restoring Hope and Inherent Resolve providing time critical reconnaissance to Ground Commanders playing a pivotal role in the defeat of ISIS. In 2019, VP-46 transitioned to the newest Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance weapons system, the P-8A Poseidon. Today, the P-8A is the most versatile Multi-Mission aircraft in the world and the US Navy’s foremost airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare platform.
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