Indian Navy receives tenth P-8I aircraft

The Indian Navy has received its tenth P-8I maritime patrol aircraft manufacturer Boeing announced on July 13 the second such delivery conducted under an option contract for four additional units awarded by the Indian Ministry of Defence in 2016.

The Indian Navy was the first international customer for the P-8, which is also operated by the US Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force and the UK’s Royal Air Force. In addition to maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, the P-8I has been deployed to assist during disaster relief and humanitarian missions.

Indian Navy P-8I — **The patrol aircraft is an integral part of the Indian Navy’s fleet and has surpassed 30,000 flight hours since it was inducted in 2013.** Boeing

Boeing currently supports India’s P-8I fleet by providing training of Indian Navy flight crews, spare parts, ground support equipment and field service representative support.

The company is completing construction on the Training Support and Data Handling Centre at INS Rajali, Arakkonam, Tamil Nadu and a secondary maintenance training centre at the Naval Institute of Aeronautical Technology, Kochi, Kerala as part of a training and support package contract signed in 2019.

According to Boeing this development will allow Indian Navy crew to increase mission proficiency in a shorter time while reducing on-aircraft training time resulting in increased aircraft availability.