Article Posted on : - Aug 09, 2013

The P-8I at Utkrosh Runway. A Navy photo

PORT BLAIR (BNS): Indian Navy's first P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft has made its maiden landing at the Andaman & Nicobar islands.

The aircraft touched down at the INS Utkrosh airfield on August 6, the Navy said.

The aircraft had arrived at its home base at INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu in May this year.

The Navy is procuring eight such aircraft from Boeing under a contract worth over USD 2.1 billion awarded in 2009.

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.