On November 18, 2020, Indian Navy received the 9th Poseidon 8I maritime surveillance aircraft from the United States (US) at the INS Hansa, Goa Naval Airbase.
i.The P-8I Aircraft received on November 18, 2020 is the first of the Four Additional planes ordered by India after completion of the Initial order for eight aircrafts.
ii.In 2016, India signed a deal of USD 1.1 Billion with the US for Four Additional P-8I Aircrafts.
Developed and Designed by:
The P-8I is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon used by the US Navy. It is developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security (US-based).
P-8A Poseidon aircraft was developed by Boeing as a replacement for the US Navy’s aging P-3 fleet. Indian Navy had become the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft with the conclusion of the nearly US $ 2.1 billion contract on January 1, 2009, for eight aircraft.
Role of P-8I:
i.P-8I is equipped with long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and surveillance in support of broad area, maritime and littoral operations.
ii.The communication and sensor suite includes indigenous equipment developed by Defence Public Sector Undertaking (PSUs) and private manufacturers of India.
iii.It is capable of high speeds (upto 789km/h) and has a high endurance of about 10 hours.
iv.The eight P-8I aircraft which have been inducted into the Indian Navy are armed with Harpoon Block-II missiles and MK-54 lightweight torpedoes.
Highlights:
i.The First P-8I Aircraft was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2013.
ii.It is based on Boeing next-generation 737 commercial airplane.
iii.India was Boeing’s first international customer for this aircraft.
Active Deployments:
i.The P-8I were deployed in Doklam along the Sikkim border during the 73-day standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in 2017.
ii.They were also deployed to keep an eye on the movement of Pakistani troops after the Pulwama terror attack in 2019.
Recent Related News:
i.On March 18, 2020, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) under the chairmanship of Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the procurement of 83 Tejas Mark-1A jets from HAL for the Indian Air Force (IAF).
About Indian Navy:
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS)– Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters MoD (Navy)– New Delhi
