Article Posted on : - Dec 23, 2010

P-8I maritime patrol aircraft developed by Boeing.

NEW DELHI (PTI): Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) has supplied critical equipment to US aerospace major Boeing for the Navy's P-8I maritime patrol aircraft that will help it identify friendly and enemy planes and forces.

"Boeing has received a key sensor technology for the Indian Navy's P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft last week from Bharat Electronics Ltd," a Boeing official said Thursday.

BEL delivered the Indian-designed Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Interrogator -- a battle management system that will enable P-8I aircraft to distinguish friendly aircraft and forces.

Boeing will install the system during P-8I final assembly at its facility in Renton, Washington.

"This delivery is another positive step in our industrial participation effort with India," said Vivek Lall, Vice President of Boeing Defence, Space and Security India here.

"In addition to supplying an essential technology for the Indian Navy, Boeing's partnership with BEL also supports the government of India's industrial objectives," he said.

Indian indigenous deliveries for P-8I also include BEL's Data Link II communications system, Avantel's mobile satellite system and the Electronic Corporation of India Limited's (ECIL) speech secrecy system.

BEL Board member and Marketing Director H N Ramakrishna said the milestone was a demonstration of BEL's capability to deliver cutting-edge work in avionics, software and structural components.

Boeing will deliver the first of eight P-8I aircraft to India within 48 months of the original contract signing, which took place in January 2009.

India is the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft of Boeing and P-8I is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing designed and is building for the US Navy.