Artist's rendering of the MMA

The Multimission Maritime Aircraft (MMA) is intended to search for and destroy submarines, conduct shipping interdiction, and also possibly engage in an ELINT role. This will involve carrying torpedoes, depth charges, Harpoon anti-shipping missiles, and other weapons. It will also be able to drop and monitor sonobuoys. It is designed to operate in conjunction with the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle.

The MMA's predecessor, the Lockheed P-3 Orion ASW aircraft has been in service with the U.S. Navy since 1961. In the mid-1980s the Navy began studies for a replacement aircraft for the P-3 which has lost range/time on station capabilities due to increasing weight and is approaching the end of its fatigue life. The Navy specification also required reduced operating and support costs. In 1989 the Navy awarded a fixed-price contract to Lockheed to design and build two prototype aircraft, to be designated the P-7. This project was cancelled in 1990 following a $300m cost overrun by Lockheed and resulting delays.

Boeing IDS and Lockheed Martin were part of a new competition for a replacement aircraft begun in 2000. Lockheed submitted the Orion 21, an updated, but new-build, version of the P-3 turboprop, based upon the Electra airliner, and Boeing submitted a proposal centered around their 737-800ERX airliner. BAE SYSTEMS withdrew from the competition in October 2002, recognising the political reality that the failure to find a US-based production partner made the bid unrealistic. BAE were offering a new build version of the Nimrod, the UK's jet powered maritime patrol aircraft since 1969.

On June 14, 2004, Boeing won (http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2004/q2/nr_040614n.html) the competition. Initial operating capability is expected to be 2013. The project is expected to be for at least 108 airframes for the U.S. Navy alone, and perhaps more to other nations operating over 200 P-3s. Project value is expected to be worth at least $15 billion, or as much as $45 billion. Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman, Smiths Aerospace, and CFMI are subcontractors.

The MMA will be based upon the same airframe as the C-40 Clipper and T-43. It seems likely the aircraft will be designated P-8, which is the next in series from the aborted P-7 project.

Aviation Week & Space Technology stated in their June 21, 2004 issue that Italy has been strongly tipped for a purchase of a total of 14 Wedgetail and MMA aircraft, with fleet support provided by Alitalia.

The U.S. Navy placed an order for 5 MMA aircraft on July 8, 2004. No delivery date has been specified as of yet. The first three aircraft will be test aircraft, and will be converted to production standards at a later date.

Australia is following the MMA project closely, holding observer status. Australia wishes to replace its AP-3C Orion fleet by 2015 and it seems likely that this will be a mixture of a maritime patrol aircraft and UAVs (e.g. Global Hawk). The latter is especially likely, since Australia appears to have budgeted, and potentially paid for, several maritime UAVs.

In U.S. service the MMA will be complemented by the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance UAV system, which will provide continuous surveillance. The system is expected to enter service around the end of the decade. Around 40 UAVs will be based at five sites - Hawaii; Diego Garcia; NAS Jacksonville, Florida; NAS Kadena, Japan and Sigonella, Italy. Either the Global Hawk or Predator UAVs seem likely to fulfill the requirement.

The Department of Defense wants to follow a program template similar to that of the Joint Strike Fighter program, with international cooperation from prospective MMA users. This would include many of the fifteen nations that currently use the P-3. The MMA project should avoid one of the major problems of the JSF, that of technology transfer. The MMA, while incorporating much high technology, does should not include such proprietary and sensitive characteristics as stealth technology. Of all the JSF partners only the UK is enjoying significant technology transfer, and even this is limited.

Canada, Italy, and Australia will each pay $300 million in order to have first-tier participation in the MMA project. This may or may not involve workshare agreements. However, with Boeing Australia already participating in the related Wedgetail development, some level of offset seems likely.

External links

• Navy News announcement (http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=13759)
• Globalsecurity.org MMA Page (http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/mma.htm)
• Boeing MMA Page (http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/mma/flash.html)
• "U.S. Navy Eyes Three Nations For Possible Role In MMA" (http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/NAVY11054.xml), Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, November 5, 2004.