Boeing has received the third phase of low-rate initial production orders from the US Navy for the P-8A Poseidon.
The US$1.9bn contract for 11 aircraft will take the total USN fleet to 24. Boeing has so far delivered three production P-8A aircraft, built alongside the company’s commercial 737-800 aircraft. The USN is slated to purchase 117 aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet.
The RAAF is planning to replace the AP-3C Orion maritime patrol fleet with the P-8A platform under AIR 7000 Phase 2B, although the project was delayed by one year in the 2012-13 budget. Second-pass approval is now expected in 2014.
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