The Navy has signed a $2 Billion order with Boeing for 13 P-8A Poseidon aircraft.
The contract includes long-lead funding previously approved by the Navy.
The aircraft will be used for the continued modernisation of the U.S. maritime patrol fleet that will ultimately involve more than 100 P-8As, replacing the Navy’s current P-3 aircraft.
In total, the Navy has now ordered 37 of the 117 P-8As it is expected to purchase and to date, 10 have been delivered. The P-8As are based on the Next-Generation 737-800 commercial aircraft and will be used to provide anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.
Boeing assembles P-8As in the same facility where it builds all its 737s and the Poseidon team uses in-line processes that takes advantage of the efficiencies in the Next-Generation 737 production system. After initial assembly, the aircraft enter a separate mission system installation and checkout facility for final modifications and testing.
Initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) was completed in March; the Navy announced July 1 that the P-8A program had passed IOT&E and the P-8A was ready for fleet introduction.
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