Boieng has been awarded a $US 9,2 million contract from the US Navy Sea Systems to integrate the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability (HAAWC) on the P-8A Poseidon submarine-hunting aircraft.
P-8A Poseidon (Picture source : Royal Australian Air Force)
The HAAWC is a submarine-hunting Air Launch Accessory (ALA) with folding wings and GPS guidance mounted onto a MK54 torpedo and is therefore launchable from high altitudes (up to 30,000 feet).
This contract (expected to fielded by 2020) will require from Boeing a full rate production of the HAAWC ALA to be launched with the MK54 (MOD 0 and MOD 1) torpedoes from P-8As flying at high altitudes. The P-8A aircraft will be able to carry and launch 5 HAAWC weapons.