India on Wednesday inked a follow-on order worth $1 billion for four P-8I (Poseidon Eight India) long-range maritime patrol aircraft from US aerospace major Boeing.
According to sources, the deal was signed at the end of discussion between under secretary of defence for acquisition, technology and logistics Frank Kendall, who was here for the joint technology group meeting with defence secretary G Mohan Kumar, his Indian counterpart.
The representatives of Boeing along with other big US defence companies such as General Atomics, Lockheed Martin, Honeywell and Raytheon are here and had interacted with the industry captains in New Delhi. The US undersecretary is here to review the existing transfers and identify new high-end technologies to strengthen New Delhi’s military capabilities.
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The P-8I aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that Boeing developed as a replacement for the US Navy’s ageing P-3 fleet and has been procured through a direct commercial sale. The Harpoon missile was acquired under a separate agreement with the US government under its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programme.
With these aircraft, India’s long-range maritime snooping and anti-submarine warfare capabilities have received a big boost.
