Chennai, Nov 13
With a view to boost the firepower and arsenal of the Indian Armed Forces, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday dedicated the Boeing P- 8 I (Poseidon Eight India) Long Range Maritime Patrol aircraft to the nation.
An impressive ceremony was held at INS Rajali, Arakkonam, India’s premiere Naval Air Station in southern India, about 70 Km off Chennai.
The ceremony was attended by a host of dignitaries including the Chief of Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan, and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral Satish Soni.
Parrikar described the aircraft as one of the best for surveillance in the world.
During the flight, Shri Parrikar was given an exposure to various sensors and other sophisticated state-of-the-art equipment and their capabilities.
He said the aircraft will provide the Indian Navy the necessary reach and flexibility to undertake extensive surveillance as also to respond swiftly and effectively to contingencies in our areas of interest.
The P-8I aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that Boeing developed as a replacement for the US Navy’s ageing P-3 fleet.
Indian Navy became the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft with the conclusion of the nearly US $ 2.1 billion contract on 01 Jan 2009 for a total of eight aircrafts.
The aircraft is equipped for long range anti sub-marine warfare, anti -surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of broad area, maritime and littoral operations.
