Boeing Co. to establish P-8I training provision in India
Military aircraft Boeing P-8 Poseidon is developed by the Boeing Defense, Space & Security
After America and Australia, Boeing Co. has started establishing its third P-8I military aircraft training facilities in south India.
American multinational corporation – Boeing Co. that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, and satellites, is set to establish its third global P-8I inspection plane training facility at INS Rajali – naval air base in Tamil Nadu.
After providing similar services in the United States of America (US) and Australia earlier, the ‘P-8I Training Solution’ will be the third international facility for the military aircraft.
The first P-8I aircraft was inducted in Indian Navy in 2013 and as of date, eight aircraft, based at INS Rajali, have been fully integrated into Indian Naval operations. In 2016, India placed a follow-on order for four additional P-8Is, the delivery of which will begin in 2020.
The plane is substantially used for missions including patrolling and spotting passing submarines and ships, and also for search missions in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. Through the installation of a full motion simulator at Rajali, aircrew mission operators and aircraft maintainers will be up skilled on the aircraft including in-weapons and artillery training.
Along with a 10-year maintenance service, the facility will be bought from Boeing for INR 19.49 billion approximately. And, around 12 P-8Is have been brought for about USD 3 billion.
According to the defence ministry, this training solution will help Indian Navy prepare for the missions that lay ahead involving P-8I aircraft. The plane is competent to advance a disciplinary response and maintain a watch over India’s immediate and extended areas of interest.
Additionally, the defence ministry cleared procurement of Low Intensity Conflict Electronic Warfare System (LICEWS) from Bharat Electronics Ltd for INR 4.7 billion. LICEWS will provide the Indian Army with the latest communications infrastructure to effectively deal with advanced communication systems being used by terrorist groups.
