Poseidon on Patrol: A Comprehensive Analysis of the U.S. Navy P-8A Program

Abstract

The P-8A Poseidon program represents the Navy’s cutting-edge Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA). A comprehensive analysis of the program is notably missing from the repertoire of acquisitions research. This work provides that missing comprehensive piece. This project includes an exploration of the P-8A program holistically from the earliest days of conceptualization through the present, as well as with an eye toward the future of the program. This research involves utilizing a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis with associated root cause analyses to identify and analyze these different attributes of the P-8A program. The primary study finding is that, due to a variety of factors, the P-8A program is an overall acquisition success with various future opportunities for program growth and evolution. The results indicate that the P-8A program is one that other programs can model to achieve similar success.