The Indian navy will receive an "international version" of the APY-10 radar for the P-8I maritime patrol fleet under a new contract that Boeing has awarded to Raytheon.

Raytheon has already delivered four US versions of the APY-10 radar for the six-aircraft P-8A flight-test fleet going to the US Navy. The final two radars on contract are in production and ahead of schedule, the company says.

Details about the international configuration of the multifunction search and fire control radar for the P-8I are not revealed in Raytheon's announcement.

Terms of the development contract awarded by Boeing also were not disclosed.

Boeing-Poseidon-P-8I
 © Boeing

Previously, Boeing and Raytheon officials have said the Indian navy wanted to add two new features to the APY-10.

One desired upgrade would add an air-to-air search capability, supplementing the APY-10's primary role as a maritime sensor. The second feature sought by India would install an aft radar in the tailcone of the P-8A, allowing 360 degree coverage around the aircraft.

Raytheon launched development of the APY-10 in 2006. The nose-mounted radar is based on the P-3C fleet's APS-137 sensor, but includes a long list of performance improvements and reduced size and weight.

Neil Peterson, Raytheon director of strategy and business development, says the India contract adds two features to the radar. One is the air-to-air detect mode. The second is an interleaved weather and detect mode. The aft radar development is separate from the new Raytheon contract, and is being worked on by Boeing.

In addition, the additional features developed for the eight Indian P-8Is will be available for other potential international customers, which include Saudi Arabia, Peterson says.

The US Navy has the P-8 to search for vessels and submarines and the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye to sweep for other aircraft. But international militaries often want aircraft to perform multiple functions, Peterson says.

Source: Flight Daily News

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