The United States has cleared the potential sale of six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft for India, worth $2.42 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), which handles these sales, notified the US congress of the clearance of the deal by the state department on Friday.
India already has a fleet of P-8I patrol aircraft, with eight ordered in 2009 and four more in 2016. With six more now, “will allow the Indian Navy to expand its maritime surveillance aircraft (MSA) capability for the next 30 years”, the DSCA said, adding, “India will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.”
Manufactured by Boeing, P-8I is an Indian variant of P-8s that the company says are designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It does multiple missions and comes equipped with “state-of-the-art sensors, proven weapons systems, and a globally recognized platform”.