Boeing to Showcase Maritime Patrol Plane P8I to Indian Navy
Dated 11/2/2007
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US aerospace major Boeing will 'very shortly' showcase the capabilities of its maritime patrol aircraft, now under development, to the Indian Navy that is currently evaluating the platform, the company said Wednesday.
'The P8I is a next generation maritime surveillance aircraft and will be able to meet the requirements of the Indian Navy for the next 50 years,' Tim Norgart of Boeing Integrated Defence Systems that is developing the aircraft, told reporters during the ongoing Aero India show here.
'We are in discussions with the Indian Navy and will be finalising the dates for field evaluation trials in the very near future,' added Norgart, a former US Navy aviator who is director of business development for Boeing IDS's Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare and Intelligence, Surveillance And Reconnaissance Systems division.
The P8I, a customized version for the Indian Navy, is based on the hugely successful Boeing-737 commercial airliner. The navy had in November 2006 expressed an interest in the aircraft as a replacement for its existing fleet of Il-38 aircraft that are nearing the end of their service life.
The navy has also sought from Lockheed Martin details about P3C Orion aircraft that the Pakistan Navy currently operates.
The Indian Navy plans to initially buy eight aircraft and possibly a few more later.
Since the P8I is currently at what is termed the 'critical design stage' after which the US Navy will give its go ahead for serial production, the aircraft's flight characteristics will be demonstrated on a 'representative aircraft' and its mission system equipment on a truck mounted trailer.
'We expect the trials to last from a week to two weeks, after which we will proceed to the next stage of negotiations,' said Norgart, who has logged some 4,500 hours on the P3C Orion.
'The Orion's a wonderful aircraft but its technology is 50 years old. What we are offering is next generation technology for whose development the US Navy has paid for and which the Indian Navy would not have to shoulder,' added the official, who, however, refused to divulge figures.
Contending that the P8I was the 'world's most technologically advanced' aircraft of its type, Norgart said it 'combines superior performance and proven reliability with the world's most advanced mission system, accommodates use of indigenous systems, and has significant industrial participation prospects'.
The participation prospect refers to transfer of technology to Indian industries and their participation in the manufacturing process if Boeing wins the order.
