For the first time, the American Navy’s maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft P-8A Poseidon has been seen in the air with the long-range AGM-158C LRASM missile.
On August 28, 2025, aerial photographer Aaron Maurer photographed a P-8A Poseidon, which flew over the Mojave Desert in California, with an Lrasm (Long Range Anti-Ship Missile) under the left wing. This is the first public image of a Poseidon equipped with this weapon during flight.
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A KC-46 Pegasus and P-8 Poseidon flying over Mojave. Interested combo. #kc46 #P8 pic.twitter.com/aG0VzKvhDo
— maurer8photography (@maurer8photo) 28. august 2025
Later, the US Navy confirmed to Newsweek that the image actually showed an AGM-158C LRASM, announcing that the integration work on the aircraft is still underway.
History of integration
The beginning of the work of integrating LRASM on P-8A Poseidon was published in April 2023, although flight tests had already started in 2022, according to Naval Air Systems Command (Navair).
According to the original schedule, integration should be completed in the financial year 2024. However, the producer Lockheed Martin predicted that the work would extend into 2025 – a forecast that is now confirmed by the latest images.
Weapon capacity
Once the integration is completed, the P-8A Poseidon will be able to carry up to four AGM-158C LRASM missiles, mounted externally under the wings. Due to the size of the weapon, it cannot be placed in the aircraft’s internal arms compartment.
This addition is significantly increasing the reach and mortality of the Poseidon in maritime war operations and consolidating it not only as a surveillance and anti-submarine patrol platform, but also as a long-range attack aircraft against surface goals.
Sources and Pictures: X @Maurer8Photo | Militarnyi | Flickr | US NAVY. This content is created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial staff.
