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Bad News For Chinese Submarines: India To Buy Six More P-8I Aircraft From US To Boost Navy’s Capabilities
Indian Navy’s P8I Maritime Patrol Aircraft (Boeing India /Twitter)
In a major move to bolster the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces, India has started the process to acquire six more long-range Poseidon-8I (P-8I) aircraft from the United States at a cost of around $1.8 billion, reports Times of India.
Built by US-based aerospace giant Boeing, India already has eight of the P-8I aircraft which are actively being used for surveillance missions over the Indian Ocean.
The P-8I aircraft are also being used in the eastern Ladakh sector for surveillance of Chinese activities amid ongoing tensions at the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Apart from these 12 P-8I, the process for procuring six more such aircraft has been started by India, with a 'letter of request' being issued to the US for a government-to-government deal under the Pentagon's foreign military sales (FMS) programme.
The P-8I aircraft are packed with radars and electro-optic sensors besides being armed with Harpoon Block-II missiles and the MK-54 lightweight torpedoes.
