US Navy orders more P-8As

The US Navy has awarded a contract to Boeing under which the company will build additional P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and the US Navy to enhance their maritime patrol capabilities, Boeing announced on 29 January. 

The $2.5 billion order includes 16 aircraft for the US Navy and four for the RAAF. The current order is Lot 7 of the P-8A Program of Record. 

With the current contract, the company is now building 78 Poseidons for the US Navy, of which 33 have been delivered; and eight for the Australian fleet. Delivery of the Lot 7 aircraft will start in late 2017. The first Australian P-8A will be delivered to the RAAF in late 2016.

James Dodd, vice president and programme manager, P-8 programs, Boeing, said: ‘We continue to hear feedback from our navy customer about the incredible capabilities of the P-8A. The deployed squadrons tell us it’s exceeding expectations – we’re looking forward to providing even more capability to the fleet and to Australia.’

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