Washington Clears India’s USD 2.1b Purchase of P-8I Patrol Aircraft

[ouiouiouiouiouioui]

Source: Wires


President Barack Obama’s administration has cleared a $2.1 billion sale to India of eight Boeing Co P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, the largest U.S. arms transfer to India to date.
The State Department said in a March 12 notice to the U.S. Congress that it would license the direct commercial sale having factored in “political, military, economic, human rights and arms control considerations.”
The Indian navy was the first international customer for the P-8, a long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.
Boeing says it can operate effectively over land or water while performing anti-submarine warfare; search and rescue; maritime interdiction; and long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance.
India chose it over several rivals, including EADS Airbus A319, according to Flightglobal.com, an online aviation-trade publication.
Boeing has said it would deliver the first P-8I within 48 months of a contract signing, and the remaining seven by 2015. Derived from Boeing’s commercial 737 airframe, its is similar to the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing is developing for the U.S. Navy.
In January 2008, Washington and New Delhi sealed India’s previous largest U.S. arms purchase — six Lockheed Martin Corp C-130J Super Hercules military transport planes valued at about $1 billion, including related gear, training and spares.

Comment: Expect this deal to be followed by several more between India and the US over the next few years. Whether these deals will include the MMRCA, however, is doubtful. Nevertheless, at a time when budgets are thinning elsewhere India continues to be the primes’ utopia

 

[ouiouiouiouiouioui]

 

[ouiouiouiouiouioui]

Sources : IANS

India will be the first international customer of the Boeing P-8I Poseidon, a variant of the P-8A Poseidon, US Navy's newest maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft showcased by the Boeing Company.


Ceremonially rolled out on Thursday at the Boeing facility in Renton, Washington, the P-8A, a derivative of the Next-Generation 737-800, is a long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.

"The P-8A Poseidon will equip the US Navy with the most advanced multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft in the world," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defence Systems.

"The Poseidon is also the latest in a decades-long Boeing tradition of working closely with the Navy and other customers to deliver a wide range of platforms that meet their most critical mission requirements."

As the replacement for the US Navy's P-3C Orion aircraft, the P-8A will provide greater payload capacity, significant growth potential, unprecedented flexibility and interoperability, and advanced mission systems, software and communications, Albaugh added.

"The P-8A programme is an outstanding example of evolutionary acquisition at work," said Capt Mike Moran, US Navy maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft programme manager.

India is buying eight P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the Indian Navy at a total cost of USD 2.1 billion with each aircraft costing about USD 220 million. These aircraft would replace Indian Navy's aging Tupolev Tu-142M maritime surveillance turboprops.

Boeing will deliver the first P-8I to India by 2013 and the remaining seven by 2015. Interest has been expressed by many other countries, including Australia and Italy.

The P-8A for the US Navy is built by a Boeing-led industry team that includes CFM International, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems and GE Aviation.

The team currently is assembling and testing the first five P-8As as part of the programme's System Development and Demonstration contract, awarded in 2004.

The integrated Navy/Boeing team will begin formal flight testing of the P-8A later this year. The US Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8As, and initial operational capability is planned for 2013

 

[aimarhenry]

congrats to IN

 

[ejaz007]

There is already a thread related to this. Why create a duplicate. Mods please merge this with the old thread.

 

[ouiouiouiouiouioui]

i did not know that there is a thread...request mods to merge the thread

 

[s90]

It would be used against Pakistan.

 

[PeacefulIndian]

It would be used against Pakistan.

And how so? Or is it just fashionable to say that everything India has will be used against Pakistan? If you bother to understand what P-8I is, it is 'a long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft'. This is not a front line heavy fighter jet, it is more comparable to an AWACS.

 

[Super Falcon]

use it no probleums till u use it it is going to be history with our Naval Mirages and SAM system on board our ships

 

[ouiouiouiouiouioui]

how this will add to indian maritime capabilities?

please analyse and what happens to the balance of power in asia

 

[DeathInvader]

use it no probleums till u use it it is going to be history with our Naval Mirages and SAM system on board our ships

we dint have any problem in Pakistan using Atlantique ..... Its Fun and Practice for Indian Air Force to shoot it down when it is near Indian Borders.....

Hope You Find that in P-8I...?

 

[Machoman]

It seems like India have nothing to do except buy weapon left and right. Good for them

 

[proud_indian]

no sir

there r so many things to do except weapons buying but u won't find those
things here as this is a place to discuss defence

 

[AkhandBharat]

use it no probleums till u use it it is going to be history with our Naval Mirages and SAM system on board our ships

First of all, SAMs dont pose a threat to these considering its range is 1200 nmi. Even if they do have to go dangerously close to enemy harbors, the P8-I's are well equipped to deal with the SAM installations near enemy harbors.

It will have a ceiling of 41,000 ft and 1,200 nmi range, carrying enough fuel on board to sustain four hours on station flying at different levels according to the mission requirements.

The aircraft has an extensive array of self-defense systems to counter heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles. It employs a towed self-protection decoy and a directional infrared self-protection system (DIRCM), coupled with missile approach warning (MAW), chaff and flare dispensing systems. The aircraft has four underwing hardpoints to carry external stores, including Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and SLAM-ER guided weapons. More weapons, including torpedoes and depth charges can be stored in the weapons bay

http://defense-update.com/features/2008/july08/b737_specialmission.html

Also these are for long range SAMs (read HQ-9), moreover, India can effectively use AWACS near the border to take out pakistani SAMs with tactical precision strikes using Brahmos II.

This is not a front line heavy fighter jet, it is more comparable to an AWACS.

The P8-I's are not like AWACS. While they have the ability to do maritime recon, they will also be used in action directly to destroy enemy submarines unlike the AWACS which only give tactical support to the fighters.

how this will add to indian maritime capabilities?

please analyse and what happens to the balance of power in asia

IN is buying these to protect its investment in Heavy Destroyers and Aircraft Carriers. Think of the P8-I as a scout unit to hunt and destroy enemy subs so they dont pose much of a threat to the aircraft carriers. Except although, traditionally scouts used to just feed information to the army and were weak, in this case, these aircrafts can hunt the subs.

This would mean that the low cost investment that Chinese and Pakistani navies thought that maintaining a bigger submarine fleet will give them maritime advantage would be neutralized by the P8-I's.

They will be forced to protect their subs with destroyers and fighter escort, which essentially means building aircraft carriers.

Essentially, the strategy of just using subs to harrass and destroy IN is neutralized by the purchase of the P8-I's.

 

[Brahm0s]

congrats to IN

Thanks. Friend what's china's answer to P-8I? Let me put this way, 'How would china counter america's P-8I? Let alone india because whenever we say india than china says india not their enemy but america. Will china shot down P-8I By SAM's? And if yes than do u think america a fool to build P-8I Which can be shot down by SAM's? And P-8I only build to destroy and had no self defence equipment onboard? Thank you.