The German’s navy’s first two Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft have undergone initial maintenance work at in-country partner Lufthansa Technik Defense’s Hamburg site.
“Currently, the navy’s first aircraft (63+01) is undergoing its first 180-day check,” the German company says. It describes the activity as involving “relatively minor maintenance tasks”, including “visual inspections, the lubrication of landing gear components, and special aircraft and engine washes”.
The service’s second example of the 737NG-derived special mission aircraft had arrived in Hamburg in mid-March, to undergo its first 90-day check.
Lufthansa Technik Defense last November received a contract to perform work on the adapted narrowbodies, with its responsibilities to span “component support, engine condition monitoring, as well as operations management and training for technical personnel”.
While it notes that its work in support of the P-8A fleet represents the first time that its personnel have conducted maintenance on “potentially armed aircraft”, it stresses: “In Lufthansa Technik, the German navy has a partner with decades of experience with the 737.”
“I am confident that we will establish the same trusting, efficient and timely collaboration here that we have known and valued for years with the German air force’s transport and special-mission aircraft,” says Stefan Rauscher, responsible group leader at Germany’s BAAINBw defence procurement body.
Boeing has so far delivered three of the German navy’s eight P-8As, with the type having replaced its now-retired Lockheed Martin P-3C Orions. The service’s first Poseidon arrived in Germany last November.
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