Article Posted on : - May 15, 2013

P-8I maritime patrol aircraft. Photo: Boeing.

SEATTLE (BNS): The first Boeing P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft arrived on Wednesday, on schedule, at India Naval Station Rajali.

The P-8I is one of eight aircraft Boeing is building for India as part of a contract awarded in 2009.

"Boeing is proud to deliver this advanced aircraft to meet the Indian Navy's unique maritime patrol requirements," Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft, was quoted as saying in the company news release.

"The P-8I team, which includes our customer and Indian suppliers, has done a fantastic job working together, and we're on track to deliver the next two P-8I aircraft later this year."

Based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737 commercial airplane, the P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing is developing for the US Navy.

The P-8I incorporates not only India-unique design features, but also India-built subsystems that are tailored to the country's maritime patrol requirements.