Boeing has secured a $2.2 billion contract covering 17 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft destined for the US Navy, plus export customers Australia and the UK.
Announcing the deal on 3 April, Boeing said the agreement also includes options for 32 additional aircraft, and "money for long-lead parts for future orders". The entire contract could be worth $6.8 billion if all options are exercised, it adds.
Of the 17 aircraft, 11 will go to the US Navy, four to the Royal Australian Air Force, and two to the UK Royal Air Force. This pair will be the first examples from a nine-jet order, and will be delivered in 2019.
Based on a 737-800 airliner with wings from the -900ER, the P-8A is designed for a range of maritime missions, including anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows there are 68 of the type in current service. The USN is lead operator, with 58 examples operational, while Australia has received its first two P-8As and the Indian navy eight P-8Is.
Separately, Norway's defence ministry in late March announced that it has signed a contract with the USA for five P-8As to replace its air force fleets of Lockheed Martin P-3C/N Orion maritime patrol aircraft and Dassault Falcon 20 business jets adapted for electronic warfare duties. Deliveries will be made between 2022 and 2023, it adds, with the acquisition worth around NKr10 billion ($1.16 billion).
Additional reporting by Craig Hoyle in London
Source: FlightGlobal.com
