The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Boeing USD1.6 billion to build a further 11 P-8A Poseidon maritime multimission aircraft (MMA) for US and international customers.
This latest USD1.6 billion award brings to 128 the number of Poseidons that the US Navy now has under contract out of a programme of record of 138. (Janes/Gareth Jennings)
The award, which covers nine Lot 12 aircraft for the US Navy (USN) and two for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) brings to 128 and 14 the numbers contracted for both services respectively. Work is expected to be complete in September 2024.
The first Poseidon for the USN was rolled out on 30 July 2009, with deliveries of production-standard aircraft to the service commencing on 6 March 2012. The service has a programme of record of 138 P-8A aircraft (compared with 250 Lockheed P-3C Orions), of which 104 have so far been delivered.
Besides the USN with a programme of record for 138 and the RAAF with 15, the P-8 is in service or on order with the Indian Air Force (which calls it the P-8I Neptune), with 12; the Republic of Korea Air Force with six; the Royal New Zealand Air Force with four; the Royal Norwegian Air Force with five; and the UK Royal Air Force with nine. It has also been approved for sale to the German Navy, with five. The international programme of record stands at 189, of which 178 are under contract. Under the current backlog, the production line in Puget Sound, Seattle, is set to run through to late 2023.
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