ILA 2026 – The presence of the P-8A Poseidon underlines the rapid growth of the German Naval Aviation
The German Marineflieger sent two new platforms to ILA, the Boeing P-8A and NH-90 Sea Lion, marking the rapid growth ahnd modernisation of the German Naval Aviation
Talking in front of the P-8A Poseidon on June 11, the Naval Aviation Wing commander Captain Broder Neilson, a Tornado weapon system officer for 17 years, confirmed that the eight aircraft on order will all be delivered by late next year – three have so far been delivered, two will follow before the Autumn and three will arrive next year.
In February a German P-8A was deployed for two weeks to India, took part in an exercise in Sicily and in the North Atlantic too. The commander said, “It came very soon after entering service, and could have been perceived as a little risky but it worked out well.”
The German Navy also deployed a P-8A to RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland recently as part of the Chatham House agreement, where both Germany and UK support each other’s defence needs.
These Joint patrols fall under NATO’s Operation Baltic Sentry and broader northern flank defence initiatives. Captain Neilson added, “Exchanges of experiences – between the European P-8A operators, Germany, Norway and UK already exists and it works well.
“We only have three aircraft, and there are not enough flying hours for all the pilots and co-pilots, so they are flying with the US Navy and UK. “
He continued; “I hope to get the air to ground capability back [with AGM-84 Harpoons] for deep strike.”
The German Navy P-8As primary anti-submarine weapon is the Mark 54 Lightweight Torpedo. They can be dropped directly or integrated with the High-Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability (HAAWC) Air Launch Accessory, allowing the torpedo to be deployed from high altitudes as a glide bomb. While AGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship Missilescan arm the P-8Afor engaging surface vessels at extended ranges. Future integration includes the British-designed Sting Ray torpedoes.
German Naval Aviation, with Captain Neilson at the helm is expanding at an incredibly fast rate, not just with P-8A Poseidon but with NH-90s too.
The first NH90 Sea Tiger of 31 on order, was handed over to the German Navy’s Marine Flieger-5 (MFG-5) at Nordholz air base in northern Germany on December 16, 2025. There are two now serving the unit, tasked in the anti-surface/anti-submarine role, although they are both being concentrated on the helicopter’s operational test and evaluation. MFG-5 should be operational with the Sea Tiger later this year, when it will replace its fleet of Sea Lynx Mk88As. These new Sea Tigers bring extremely sophisticated ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) and ASuW (Anti-Surface Warfare) that include a new electro-optical system and improved electronic support measures (ESM) and comes equipped with dipping sonar and sonobuoy systems to provide operators detailed threats above and under the water. They will eventually be armed with the Thales MU-90 light weight torpedo and MBDA Marte-ER anti-ship missile.
All 16 NH90 Sea Lion naval transport and search and rescue (SAR) helicopters were delivered between 2019 and 2023 to replace the Sea Kings. All 47 NH 90s will be housed at Nordholz, making the northern German base the biggest NH 90 base in the world.
Eight MQ-9B Sea Guardians should be delivered by 2029 and will eventually become part of the German Navy’s integrated data-link system, that will play a big part of confronting any Russian threat in Europe’s northern reaches.
Photos A. Warnes and Airbus
