Indian Navy Boeing P-8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft completes first flight

Boeing’s first long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft P-8I for the Indian Navy recently completed its initial flight at the Boeing Field in Seattle, USA. Its worth note that India had awarded a $2.1 bn contract to Boeing in January 2009 for 8 such planes to change the ageing fleet of Soviet-era Tu-142s.

Background:

• A military imitative of Boeing’s 737 commercial plane, the P-8I submarine hunter is the Indian Navy’s variant of the P-8A Poseidon being developed for the US Navy. Poseidon is internationally acknowledged as the benchmark in maritime patrol
  
• Boeing was instructed by the Indian Navy to install certain capabilities not provided for the P8A.
  This includes aft-looking radar, custom-designed by US company. Telefonic, which functions like an electronic rearview mirror, scanning the water behind the aircraft
  
• The P-8I is the first of 8 long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft Boeing is constructing for India as part of a deal presented in January 2009
  

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2011