Navy P-8 Poseidon Carrying Secretive Radar Pod Seen In Russian Fighter’s Intercept Video
Images taken from the cockpit of a Russian fighter plane appeared and the US navy P-8A Poseidon A sea patrol aircraft equipped with a hidden radar compartment during a mission on the Black Sea. The video underlines the increasing importance of P-8 for collection of intelligence in critical theaters such as the Black Sea, an active war zone between NATO and Russian assets on the edges of the conflict in Ukraine.
The meeting between the Russian Sukhoi fighter aircraft and the US navy Boeing P-8a Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircrafts/Black Sea. Video from today.
The P-8A is equipped with the AESA radar with Multi-functioned AESA radar in advanced air. pic.twitter.com/f6xo80hyq4
-Durum-6 (Military and Conflict News) (@Archer83able) 27 August 2025
The video was released on Telegram at Fightterbombber Channel, which is affiliated with Russian aviation, and shows a task that was reported to take place on 27 August today. The public flight monitoring data shows the task of a navy P-8 on the Black Sea today, but we cannot be sure that the same plane is.
A tweet with embedded flight tracking data shows a P-8 flight from Sigonella, Sigonella, Navy Air Station and the Black Sea, about 50 nautical miles from the Russian airspace, about 50 nautical miles from Kariya city.
In addition, it is also unclear what the Russian plane is involved, but a warrior from the Flanker series, perhaps a water-35s, is a type that has blown such intervention tasks in the past.
However, the most remarkable thing about the video, AN/APS-154 Sensor in advanced airOr the AAS, sometimes under the body of the p-8, the extended compartment. Like us BELIEVE IN THE PAST IN THE PASTThis is a powerful radar system that developed in 2009 and started to test in 2014. This may even be the first observation of the Pod in the Black Sea. It is also rare to see that the antenna is extended, usually tightly stuck under the stacked body of the aircraft.
The P-8A 169336 returns from a short flight, showing a new kit.
An/APS-154 AAS and Lockheed Multi are now equipped with the user lens system. This is now the second P-8 in the Navy Fleet with this installation. pic.twitter.com/0qxklubbvw
– 𝗦𝗥_𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 (@sr_Planespotter) April 28, 2025
The images provide a particularly good and very rare appearance of how the Pod is deployed on the flight using the special task pod distribution mechanism (SMPDM). By extending the pod to the bottom of the body during the flight, the field of view of the radar is no longer blocked by the two engines of the P-8.
An/APS-154 as shown with red arrows, equipped with a sensor in advanced air. @cvvhrn
Details of AAS pod and abilities remain strictly limited. We know that it was developed by Raytheon and based on an active series of electronically scanned (AESA) radar. This has a functionality of a moving target indicator (MTI) and synthetic diaphragm radar (SAR), which is suitable for monitoring the moving targets below at sea and land. It can significantly detect the palace images of the ships and do it, and also collect very high quality radar images of interesting objects for more analysis even at night and even in bad weather.
In addition, the capsule may have secondary electronic war capabilities. You can learn more about what this sensor and navy offers to the Poseidon fleet. Here.
The Black Sea is an ideal operation theater for AAS P-8 with its sea activity and its proximity to a busy place war in Ukraine.
Like Twz observed in the past:
“AAS is specially designed to work in the lithtoral areas where both water and land areas may have to scan at the same time. Traditional surface search radars are typically optimized for an environment or the other, or have special modes for each, and usually show difficulties in both.”
Before the full -scale Russian invasion, NATO is patrolling on an Armada, Black Sea and elsewhere near the Russian and Ukraine borders. RC-135 rivet joints and RQ-4 drones have long been staples in the airspace on the Black Sea to give only two names.
In November 2020, the Patrol Fleet 46 was assigned to the “Gray Knights” of the Patrol Fleet on the flight line in Sigonella, Italy in November 2020. US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Grade Zachary Dalton
As for P-8, the value in the region is clearly equipped with the AAS pod, especially with a great sharpness, including both water and land, the ability to monitor various objects of interest.
Having AAS equipped P-8 in this area creates a very powerful coldness targeting platform when combined with the current electronic intelligence, network creation and data sharing features of the aircraft. Data can be fed to other assets in the air, sea or land. You can detect ships that move from large distances, even from small ones and use their strong radar ‘images’. Enemy air defense emissions and radar mapping coast and internal targets detecting and cataloging is a one -day work for extremely unique aircraft.
The aircraft equipped in this way, also EP-3E Aeries IINow the US navy has left its service. AN/APS-154 is also the successor of the equal hidden. AN/APS-149 LITTORAL SUITABLE RADAR SYSTEMAnother podded Raytheon Aesa radar carried by some P-3C nail polishes.
A EP-3E KOÇ II is prepared to fly in the US 5th Fleet Area area before retiring. US navy
Although the last encounter between a P-8 and a Russian fambow is a precedent for a little more tense intersections in the same waters, it seems to have passed without incident.
A Russian in September 2022 SU-27 FLANKER Warrior fired the missile from air to air towards the Royal Air Force RC-135W rivet joint Through the Black Sea, although there are details that this is exactly caused Stay a little uncertain.
According to one account, a SU-27 pilot misinterpreted the instruction of a radar operator on the ground and thought it was permission to shoot at the RC-135. The Russian pilot obtained a missile lock on British aircraft, then fired a missing missile.
A encounter between a US Air Force in March 2023 MQ-9 Reaper Surveillance Drone on the Black Sea and two Russian SU-27 fighters Drone disappears. A video published by the Pentagon soon seems to be confirming that one of the SU-27s hit the drone propeller, but it remains unclear how the action is intentional or wrong.
US Air Force MQ-9 and 14 March 2023 on the Black Sea on the two Russian SU-27 fighter planes showing a portion of the US Department of Defense, resulting in the disappearance of the drone:
The video of the P-8, which was seized by a Russian fighter, once again emphasizes the relatively intense activity of the surveillance aircraft and the most intense warriors in the sky in Europe.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
