PATUXENT RIVER, Md. –
The Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office and the P-8A Poseidon program team recently planned and executed several Aircraft on Ground (AOG) events overseas, demonstrating the strength of U.S. Navy and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) partnerships and the effectiveness of the RAAF Surveillance and Response System Program Office’s (SRSPO) contractual relationship with Boeing Defence Australia (BDA).
An AOG occurs when an aircraft sustains an incident beyond normal fleet repair capability. When a U.S. Navy P-8A incurred structural damage outside the continental U.S., the cooperative teams drew on their established relationships and prior simulated training experience to coordinate depot-level repairs with confidence.
In 2023, P-8A partners conducted a virtual, scripted and basic simulated AOG walk-through event. A more advanced simulation followed during the Australian-hosted Exercise Talisman Sabre in July 2025, where U.S. Navy aircrew, maintainers, RAAF personnel, BDA teams, Fleet Support Team members and program office staff worked through a more robust structural damage scenario. This event practiced the permissions, processes and logistics required to execute a U.S. Navy P-8A AOG within U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).
The event addressed a more complex challenge than usual: How do we leverage our cooperative partner when a damaged INDOPACOM asset requires assessment and repair quickly? The team practiced issuing a task order, performing temporary repairs, ordering parts, securing an interim flight clearance, navigating security procedures, understanding cost recovery processes and, ultimately, issuing a simulated BDA certificate of conformance. Commander Task Force 72 provided operational insight into custody limitations and squadron expectations, while broader INDOPACOM regional sustainment efforts garnered additional support across the department.
Those lessons proved invaluable when a deployed squadron in Guam soon experienced real-world P-8A wingtip damage that required physical repair. With concurrence from Navy leadership, SRSPO and BDA, the program office activated the protocols they had refined from Exercise Talisman Sabre. Temporary repairs were made immediately to the P-8A, and the aircraft was then flown to RAAF Base Edinburgh, where BDA made permanent repairs. An enormous amount of coordination, parts ordering and workload planning ensued. Executing the first repair of its kind, BDA and U.S. company AAR Corp. repaired the P-8A in Australia and returned it to the fleet before Thanksgiving.
“The immense partnership that exists between RAAF and the U.S. Navy made the entire evolution possible,” said Molly Boron, deputy program manager. “The joint team welcomed the challenge of repairing a forward-deployed U.S. aircraft in Australia and returning it to permanent airworthiness in the shortest amount of time possible.”
The Australian Department of Defence, Boeing, AAR Corp. and the U.S. Navy worked seamlessly to deliver an essential warfighting outcome, an example of how cooperative partnerships strengthen readiness.
This accomplishment highlights the value of interoperability with allies and industry partners. The P-8A joint program continues to explore opportunities for Regional Support Centres across the INDOPACOM area of responsibility to enhance sustainment in contested logistics environments and support warfighter needs.
From the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft Program Office. 