29 January, 2019: Boeing has received a $2.4 billion production contract from the US Navy for the 19 P-8A Poseidon aircraft. The US Navy fleet will add 10 aircraft to the existing inventory of P-8As, according to the contract.
Foreign Military Sales process is used by the United Kingdom and Norway for acquiring the Boeing aircraft. They will be receiving a variant designed and produced for the US Navy called the P-8A Poseidon.
Five jets are currently under contract for Norway and the four aircraft remaining for the existing United Kingdom contract, bringing the total of nine aircraft that the United Kingdom will receive. Norway will receive the aircraft in 2021 and United Kingdom in 2019.
The P-8, a military derivative of the Boeing Commercial Next-Generation 737 airplane is a combination of superior performance and reliability with an advanced mission system that guarantees maximum interoperability in the battle space.
The aircraft is used for long-range multi-mission maritime patrol and is capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations. It has been modified to include a bomb bay and pylons for weapons, two weapons stations on each wing and it can carry 129 sonobuoys. An in-flight refueling system is also fitted in the aircraft.
The P-8A Poseidon and the P-8I are the P-8 variants that patrol the globe performing anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; humanitarian; and search and rescue missions.