India is set to retire its Soviet-origin Tupolev-142M aircraft later this month. Having served for more than 30 years in long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR) and anti-submarine warfare operations, Indian Navy's Tu-142M will be decomissioned on 29 March during a ceremony at the naval air station INS Rajali in Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu. TU-142Ms' replacement will be Poseidon-8I long-range patrol aircraft with its much more advanced sensors and weapon systems. P-8Is armed with Harpoon Block-II missiles, MK-54 lightweight torpedoes, rockets and depth charges as well as a CAE AN/ASQ-508A magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) system, APS-143C(V)3 multimode radar and a global version of the Raytheon APY-10 surveillance radar.
211216-N-QI061-1222 NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. (December 16, 2021) An MQ-4C Triton Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), assigned to Unmanned Patrol Squadron 19 (VUP-19), sits on the flight line at Naval Station Mayport, Florida, Dec. 16, 2021. VUP-19, the Navy’s first Triton squadron, will continue to maintain and operate the aircraft off the East Coast to further develop the concept of operations and refine tactics, techniques, and procedures. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan T. Beard/ Released)