Indian Navy set to get Boeing P-8i Poseidons

Indian Navy set to get Boeing P-8i Poseidons
^

Posted on Friday, May 16, 2008 3:41:57 PM by Arjun

Renton (Washington State),May 15 Indian Navy will soon have an edge in the Indian Ocean once it inks $2.2 billion deal for eight maritime patrol planes from Boeing.The agreement is expected to be signed soon.

The Boeing P-8i Poseidons long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR)patrol aircraft will enable the Indian Navy to operate a platform almost simultaneously with the USNavy.

Richard Buck,Boeing's international programme manager for P8,said that India would be able to leverage on the substantial investment made in the P8 by the US Navy.

A lot of issues relating to the P-8i for the Indian Navy are still in the process of being sorted out,said Buck.

So far,the company officials claim that $4 billion had already been spent on the development of the aircraft.The uniqueness of the programme is that it is not being negotiated under the US foreign military sales (FMS)programme but as adirectcommercial agreement between Boeing and the Indian Navy.

Responding to a question, Buck said,"Under the request for proposal (RFP)received, the first aircraft has to be delivered within 48 months of the contract being signed and the remaining within an eight-year time frame."

Buck said,"We are offering next generation technology that will keep the plane in service till 2050at the least.Beit in an anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare,intelligence gathering,surveillance or reconnaissance roles,the P8I combines superior performance and proven reliability againstanyotheraircraftflying today."

The P-8i,based on the Boeing-737 commercial airliner, was competing with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS)'s A-319 maritime patrol aircraft and other contenders in meeting 'qualitative requirements'in the technical trials held by the Navy.The P-8i,a customised version for the Indian Navy,is based on the hugely successful Boeing-737 commercial airliner.The navy had,in November 2006,expressed an interest in the aircraft as a replacement for its existing fleet of Il-38 aircraft.

nice, the Indians are probably sick of the Russians delivering stuff late and asking for more money by now. With USD at an all time low, US exports are looking more and more attractive.

tphuang said:

nice, the Indians are probably sick of the Russians delivering stuff late and asking for more money by now. With USD at an all time low, US exports are looking more and more attractive.

Click to expand...

Yes, the pricing will be better...and these aircraft are going to be VERY capable.

Anti-submarine warfare with torpedoes, sonar bouys, and an amazing array of electronics and detection gear, anti-surface capabilities with Harpoon missiles, and a lot of radar capabilities. Also fast, great range, and great loitering capability.

A very worthy successor to the P-3 Orion.

India Getting the P-8
May 23, 2008:

The U.S. and Indian navies will both receive the new American P-8 maritime reconnaissance aircraft at about the same time (2013-14). The Indians are getting eight P-8Is, which will be customized for Indian needs, and be slightly different than the P-8A the Americans will use.

The P-8A Poseidon is based on the widely used Boeing 737 airliner. Although the Boeing 737 based P-8A is a two engine jet, compared to the four engine turboprop P-3, it is a more capable plane. The P-8A has 23 percent more floor space than the P-3, and is larger (118 foot wingspan, versus 100 foot) and heavier (83 tons versus 61). Most other characteristics are the same. Both can stay in the air about ten hours per sortie. Speed is different. Cruise speed for the 737 is 910 kilometers an hour, versus 590 for the P-3. This makes it possible for the P-8A to get to a patrol area faster, which is a major advantage when chasing down subs first spotted by sonar arrays or satellites. However, the P-3 can carry more weapons (9 tons, versus 5.6.) This is less of a factor as the weapons (torpedoes, missiles, mines, sonobouys) are, pound for pound, more effective today and that trend continues. Both carry the same size crew, of 10-11 pilots and equipment operators. Both aircraft carry search radar and various other sensors.


The 737 has, like the P-3. been equipped with hard points on the wings for torpedoes or missiles. The B-737 is a more modern design, and has been used successfully since the 1960s by commercial aviation. Navy aviators are confident that it will be as reliable as the P-3 (which was based on the Electra civilian airliner that first flew in 1954, although only 170 were built, plus 600 P-3s. About 40 Electras are still in service). The Boeing 737 first flew in 1965, and over 5,000 have been built. The P-8A will be the first 737 designed with a bomb bay and four wing racks for weapons. The P-8 costs about $275 million each.