Indian Navy To Buy Additional Four P-8I Maritime Surveillance Aircraft

The Indian Navy plans to buy additional four Boeing P-8I Maritime Surveillance andanti-submarine warfare Aircraft.

“The Cost Negotiating Committee (CNC) has recently completed the negotiations. The talks between the Navy and Boeing are at an advanced stage to add four more P-8I aircraft to an existing order of eight,” The Hindu daily quoted unnamed Defense Ministry official as saying Thursday.

“The CNC file would soon be sent to the Defense Ministry’s finance wing and then to the Finance Ministry for approval before the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the Prime Minister,” the official said.

India had signed a $ 2.2 billion contract to purchase eight P-8Is in 2009 with an optional clause for four more. The negotiations to buy four more aircraft have been going on for a year. Seven of the eight aircraft ordered earlier have already been inducted for service. The eighth aircraft is scheduled for delivery by October.

The P-8I is based on Boeing 737 commercial airplane and is a variant of P-8A Poseidon.