India to purchase six additional P-8I Poseidon naval patrol aircraft.

According to information published by the United States Department of Defense (DoD) on April 30, 2021, the U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of India of six P-8I Patrol aircraft and related equipment for an estimated cost of $2.42 billion.
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Indian Navy P-8I naval multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft. (Picture source Boeing)

The Government of India has requested to buy six (6) P-8I Patrol aircraft and related equipment including eight (8) Multifunctional Information Distribution System-Joint Tactical Radio Systems 5 (MIDS-JTRS 5) (6 installed, 2 spares); forty-two (42) AN/AAR-54 Missile Warning Sensors (36 installed, 6 spares); and fourteen (14) LN-251 with Embedded Global Positioning Systems (GPS)/Inertial Navigations Systems (EGIs) (12 installed, 2 spares). Also included are CFM56-7 commercial engines; Tactical Open Mission Software (ITOMS) variant for P-8I; Electro-Optical (EO) and Infrared (IR) MX-20HD; AN/AAQ-2(V)l Acoustic System; ARES-1000 commercial variant Electronic Support Measures; AN/APR-39D Radar Warning Receiver; AN/ALE-47 Counter-Measures Dispensing System; support equipment and spares; publications; repair and return; transportation; aircraft ferry; training; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, software, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistical and program support.

In January 2008, Boeing proposed the P-8I, a customized export variant of the P-8A, for the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy procured eight P-8I aircraft from Boeing in January 2009, via Direct Commercial Sale and contracted for an additional four aircraft in July 2016. The first P-8I aircraft were delivered to the Indian Navy in 2013, providing interoperability and critical capabilities to coalition maritime operations. This proposed sale of an additional six P-8I aircraft will allow the Indian Navy to expand its maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) capability for the next 30 years. India will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.

The prime contractor will be The Boeing Company, Seattle, WA.  The purchaser typically requests offsets.  Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the prime contractor. The prime contractor will be The Boeing Company, Seattle, WA. The purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the prime contractor.

The P-8A nicknamed Poseidon is a naval multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft designed and manufactured by the American Company Boeing using a modified airframe of the civilian aircraft 737-800. The P-8A offers an extended global reach, greater payload capacity, higher operating altitude and is equipped with state-of-the-art sensors, radars, and open-systems architecture.

The P-8A is equipped with the High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapon Capability (HAAWC) Air Launch Accessory (ALA), turning a Mark 54 torpedo into a glide bomb for deploying from up to 30,000 ft (9,100 m).

The P-8I, is the Indian variant of the P-8A featuring Data Link II communications from the Indian company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) allowing the P-8I to exchange tactical data between Indian Navy aircraft, ships and shore establishments. It also features an integrated BEL-developed IFF system. India has purchased AGM-84L Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles and Mk 54 All-Up-Round Lightweight torpedoes for the P-8.