The P-8A Poseidon offers greater capabilities over the P-3C Orion and will allow Germany to enhance interoperability with the U.K. and Norway for NATO missions.
The first of Germany’s eight P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft landed at Berlin Brandenburg airport on Nov. 7, 2025. Aircraft 63+01 flew the transatlantic journey from the continental U.S., leaving Seattle’s King County International Airport, better known as Boeing Field, on the morning of Nov. 7.
Flight tracking website Italimilradar and other profiles showed a stopover at Keflavik airport, in Iceland, and the aircraft flying with the callsign ‘GNY4567’. The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) press release added that a German crew from the Deutsche Marine’s (German Navy) Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin” has flown the aircraft from the U.S.
The remaining seven aircraft will be delivered by 2029. Germany’s official profile within NATO posted images of the P-8A’s arrival, which was received by Defense Minister Boris Pistorious, and the Vice Chief of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine) Vice Admiral Axel Deertz.
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A ceremonial handover of the P-8A to German crews and officials had taken place on Oct. 2 at Boeing Field in Seattle, reported the German embassy in the U.S. Speaking about the arrival of the aircraft in Berlin, ‘Germany at NATO’ called it a “milestone in modernizing Germany’s maritime reconnaissance capabilities and for enhancing the Germany Navy’s operational readiness.”
Pistorious said in the post: “One thing is clear: the German contribution to deterrence in the High North will be largely based on this aircraft.” He further added: “With the Poseidon, Germany strengthens interoperability within NATO – through joint training, maintenance, and data integration with Allies.”
The first P-8A Poseidon has landed at @berlinairport today – a milestone in modernizing Germany’s maritime reconnaissance capabilities and for enhancing the 🇩🇪Navy’s operational readiness. Defence Minister #Pistorius and Vice Admiral Deertz officially welcomed the aircraft. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/8pd7EYL6Fc
— Germany at NATO (@GermanyNATO) November 7, 2025
German P-8A Poseidon
The country has already ordered eight Poseidons, and German budget requests and latest naval vision papers like the Kurs Marine 2025 revealed Berlin was interested in four more aircraft. This would allow to meet enhanced commitments within NATO, involving maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare missions in the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the High North, in cooperation with Allies U.S., Norway and U.K.
GNY4567, Boeing P-8 Poseidon, on the way to Germany via Iceland from KBFI in Seattle. May be a new aircraft delivery. #3EA427.@Borrowed7Time @thenewarea51 @steffanwatkins @sentdefender @RBbethetruth @sipjack1776_3 pic.twitter.com/jY3lsrd6JL
— Peter Vogel (@PeterVogel) November 6, 2025
The P-8A Poseidon will replace the older P-3C Orion, which completed a modernization program in June 2020. The aircraft will be handed over to the Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin” at Nordholz, near the northeastern shores.
In September 2023, Germany approved the sale of six of its P-3C CUP (Capability Upgrade Program) Orions to Portugal for $48.5 million, which Lisbon received on Feb. 9, 2024. Reports said Germany has kept at least two P-3C Orions operational until the Poseidons arrived.
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RAF Lossiemouth also shared images on Sep. 16, 2025 of one of the German P-3C Orions visiting the base for the last time before its retirement. The base wrote in a post: “We waved Auf Wiedersehen to the German P-3C Orion today, as it stopped off at RAF Lossiemouth for one last time before retirement. We look forward to welcoming our allies back to Lossie in the future with their new P-8 aircraft!”
We waved Auf Wiedersehen to the German P-3C Orion today, as it stopped off at RAF Lossiemouth for one last time before retirement.
We look forward to welcoming our allies back to Lossie in the future with their new P-8 aircraft!
🇩🇪🤝🇬🇧
@bundeswehrInfo @NATO @RoyalAirForce pic.twitter.com/bd8tSbNoTm
— RAF Lossiemouth (@RAFLossiemouth) September 16, 2025
Giant leap in capability
The Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces) previously spoke in a press release about the training of German crews at the NAS (Naval Air Station) Jacksonville, Florida with the U.S. Navy’s VP-8 (Patrol Squadron 8). On that occasion it had explained how the P-8A offered a quantum leap in anti-submarine detection, reconnaissance, data processing and networking capability than the P-3C Orion.
Based on the Boeing 737, the P-8A is equipped with a Raytheon AN/APY-10 multi-target surface radar, an AN/APS-128 synthetic aperture radar and an AN/ALR-73 passive detection system. The AN/ALQ-240(V)1 ESM (Electronic Support Measures) array on the cheeks give elementary ELINT/EW (Electronic Intelligence/Electronic Warfare) capability.
The P-8 can be armed with Mk-50 torpedoes, Mk-57 and Mk-101 depth charges, Mk-55 and Mk-56 mines and AGM-84 Harpoon missiles.
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Vice Admiral Deertz called the delivery of the new aircraft a “great day for naval aviators.” He further highlighted that, “after roughly twenty years, the Navy is once again receiving a jet-powered aircraft with the P-8A Poseidon.”
The Bundeswehr explained that the P-8A will be armed with torpedoes and depth charges from the U.S. and “at a later date” anti-ship missiles. This could include the AGM-84 Harpoon, or even the AGM-158C LRASM (Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile). The German Poseidons will use the British Stingray torpedoes “in the medium term.”
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Role in NATO, Atlantic and interoperability
The German embassy in the U.S. also released a video of Pistorious’ speech in Berlin on the sidelines of the P-8A’s arrival, in which he explicitly identified tracking “Russian nuclear submarines” as the aircraft’s primary role. “It’s about where they are and what they do. We can do that with the P-8 Poseidon. To have eight of them means, first of all more security for our own country […] and for the Allied area,” Pistorious said.
He also underscored the “interoperability with the Norwegians, Canadians, Americans, Britons” which allows mixed operations in crews, logistics, maintenance, while exchanging the latest data and intelligence.” Boeing said the P-8A will strengthen Germany’s “maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.” It “will enhance the German Navy’s ability to patrol the High North and the Baltic Sea, protect national and allied interests, and operate with NATO partners.”
A major step for 🇩🇪 defense! Germany receives first P-8A Poseidon, boosting maritime surveillance. With $33B invested in US tech + training of 🇩🇪 personnel in the US: German troops gain skills and forge strong bonds with US forces. A powerful symbol of transatlantic partnership! pic.twitter.com/mJPDHjLGjB
— German Embassy Washington (@GermanyinUSA) October 1, 2025
DW mentioned in a May 16, 2025, report that Germany and Britain would also plan future joint operations in ASW and maritime reconnaissance in the North Sea and North Atlantic. “German P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will be deployed from Scotland. The British [are] already using them, meaning that German crews can already train there,” the report said.
The aircraft will be deployed over strategic NATO sea, supply and maritime zones of critical infrastructure, including the Greenland-United Kingdom-Iceland (G-I-UK) gap, and the North and Baltic Seas. According to Hartpunkt, the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) is now conducting final quality checks and acceptance tests before officially handing it over to the Deutsche Marine’s Naval Air Wing 3.
The report quoted inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, who said: “With the delivery of the P-8A Poseidon, the German Navy gains a new ‘flying guardian.’ This decisive step in modernizing our air fleet is based on a quantum leap in terms of the new weapon system’s range, sensors, and operational endurance, and is perfectly in line with the Navy’s strategic direction.”
A major step for 🇩🇪 defense! Germany receives first P-8A Poseidon, boosting maritime surveillance. With $33B invested in US tech + training of 🇩🇪 personnel in the US: German troops gain skills and forge strong bonds with US forces. A powerful symbol of transatlantic partnership! pic.twitter.com/mJPDHjLGjB
— German Embassy Washington (@GermanyinUSA) October 1, 2025
Der Spiegel also mentioned Australia as one of the partner nations with whom Germany can jointly train and operate with, which “will significantly increase the efficiency and operational readiness of the Navy’s air forces.”
