New Boeing sub-hunter makes first flight

SEATTLE, April 26 (UPI) -- Boeing says its new military submarine-hunter jet, the P8-A, made its first flight this weekend.

The aircraft flew for three hours over the Seattle area before landing at Boeing Field where it will be outfitted with sensor equipment in preparation for formal flight testing in the fall.

The Seattle Times said Sunday that a source described the flight as a success.

The P8-A Poseidon is based on the Boeing 737 airliner and has been ordered by the U.S. Navy and by India. It is designed for long-range anti-sub patrols and is equipped with a bomb bay from which sonar buoys are dropped.