The United States State Department has approved the proposed sale of 6 Poseidon-8I (P-8I) Patrol Aircraft and other equipment to India. The deal is estimated to cost USD 2.42 Billion (~ INR 18, 000 Crore).
- It is being procured by the Indian Government for use by the Indian Navy.
- The P-8I Patrol Aircrafts are produced by Boeing, an American Aerospace & Defense Company.
- In November 2019, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh approved the procurement of the P-8I Aircrafts and other equipment.
Key Points
i.Apart from the Patrol Aircrafts, the US had approved the sale of other equipment such as Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems-Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS-JTRS), Missile Warning Sensors and other related equipment.
- It also includes services such as repair and return, transportation, training, logistics support and other elements of logistical and program support.
- At present, Indian Navy is in the process of inducting 4 P-8Is which were contracted under offset clause in 2016.
- India had already procured 8 P-8Is in a USD 2.2 Billion deal in 2009, which are part of the 312A Naval Air Squadron based at Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu.
P-8I
- It is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon used by the US Navy.
- It is based on Boeing 737 Commercial Aircraft and India was its 1st International Customer.
- It will be used for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and surveillance in support of broad area, maritime and littoral operations.
- It is capable of high speeds (upto 789km/h) and has a high endurance of about 10 hours.
Recent Related News:
i.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.
About Indian Navy:
Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) – Admiral Karambir Singh
Integrated Headquarters MoD (Navy) – New Delhi
About Boeing
President & CEO – David L. Calhoun
Headquarters – Chicago, USA
