The U.S. Navy awarded Boeing a $1.6 billion production contract for the next 11 P 8A Poseidon aircraft. Nine aircraft will join the U.S. Navy fleet, and two will go to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The contract brings the total number of U.S. Navy P-8A aircraft under contract to 128 and the RAAF total to 14.
The P-8A is a long-range anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare aircraft used by the U.S Navy. It is deployed around the world, with 103 aircraft in service and more than 300,000 flight-hours.
The P-8 is based on the Boeing 737-800 commercial airliner, but with a 737-900 wing, the P-8A Poseidon was developed by a group of companies led by Boeing, which also includes CFM International, GE Aviation, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Spirit AeroSystems. The P-8 shares 86% commonality with the commercial 737NG. The P-8 is militarized with maritime weapons, and the aircraft is modified to include a bomb bay and pylons for weapons. It has two weapons stations on each wing and can carry 129 sonobuoys. The aircraft is also fitted with an in-flight refuelling system.
The P-8 has two variants: The P-8I, flown by the Indian Navy, and the P-8A Poseidon, flown by the U.S. Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force. The RAAF has acquired the Boeing aircraft through the Foreign Military Sales process and will receive a variant designed and produced for the U.S. Navy called the P-8A Poseidon.
Work will be performed in Seattle, Washington and is expected to be completed in September 2024.
