India gets second Boeing maritime patrol aircraft

Washington – India has received its second P-8I maritime patrol aircraft from Boeing company, doubling the country’s long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.

The P-8I features open system architecture, advanced sensor and display technologies, and a worldwide base of suppliers, parts and support equipment, according to Boeing which is building eight of th! em for India.

The first P-8I was delivered to India in May. Based on Boeing’s Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane, the P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing has developed for the US Navy.

“With two aircraft at Naval Station Rajali now, the Indian Navy will get a good feel for the P-8I’s interoperability with other aircraft,” said Leland Wight, Boeing P-8I programme manager in Seattle, Washington.

“Acceptance trials on the first aircraft are progressing well and its availability for testing has been excellent, in large part due to Boeing’s worldwide 737 support capabilities.”

While the aircraft delivered today will begin flight trials in the coming months, the first P-8I recently completed testing its weapons capabilities, including successfully firing a Boeing Harpoon missile at a target and dropping a torpedo, Boeing said.

In order to efficiently design and build the P-8I and the P-8A, the Boeing-l! ed team is using a first-in-industry, in-line production process that d! raws on the company’s Next-Generation 737 production system.

P-8I aircraft are built by a Boeing-led industry team that includes CFM International, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems, BAE Systems and GE Aviation.

St. Louis, Missouri, headquartered Boeing Defence, Space & Security, a unit of the Boeing Company said it offers India a broad spectrum of defence, space and security solutions that are relevant to India’s current and future military and humanitarian needs.