..:: India Strategic ::. Navy: Indian Navy's Boeing P-8I Aircraft Completes 1st Flight

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Editorial

Indian Navy's Boeing P-8I Aircraft Completes 1st Flight

Published: September 2011

Seattle. Boeing's first P-8I aircraft for the Indian Navy completed its initial flight Sep 28, taking off from Renton Field and landing two hours and 31 minutes later at Boeing Field in Seattle.

During the flight, Boeing test pilots performed airborne systems checks including engine accelerations and decelerations and autopilot flight modes, and took the P-8I to a maximum altitude of 41,000 feet prior to landing. In the coming weeks Boeing will begin mission systems installation and checkout work on the aircraft at a company facility near Boeing Field.

"The P-8I program is progressing well and we are looking forward to this potent platform joining the Indian Navy as part of its fleet," said Rear Adm. D M Sudan, assistant chief of Naval Staff (Air), Indian Navy, who was at the site as part of a Navy team to monitor the aircraft delivery programme. The Indian Navy is buying eighgt plus four more of these highly sophisticated aircraft.

"The P-8I will provide India with the necessary speed and reliability to satisfy the Indian Navy's maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare requirements," said Dinesh Keskar, Boeing India president.

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 U.S. Navy. In order to efficiently design and build P-8 aircraft, the Boeing-led team is using a first-in-industry, in-line production process that draws on the company's Next-Generation 737 production system.

"Flying the first P-8 for an international customer is a key milestone for our entire team," said Leland Wight, Boeing P-8I program manager. "We have transitioned to P-8I production, and remain on track to deliver the first aircraft to the Indian Navy in 2013."

The P-8I is the first of eight long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft Boeing is building for India as part of a contract awarded in January 2009. An option for four additional P-8I aircraft was included in the original contract.

The aircraft features open system architecture, advanced sensor and display technologies, and a worldwide base of suppliers, parts and support equipment.

The P-8I is built by a Boeing-led industry team that includes CFM International, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems, BAE Systems and GE Aviation.

Boeing, the world's leading aerospace company and the largest manufacturer of commercial jetliners and military aircraft combined, has significantly expanded its footprint in India in both civil aviation and defense. India has selected the P-8I to fulfill its long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine requirements and the C-17 Globemaster III for its strategic and tactical airlift needs.

Boeing is partnering with India’s leading technology and manufacturing companies to build a supply chain out of India. The company has opened a Research and Technology center in Bangalore to collaborate with India's technical talent for research in aero structures, materials and network systems. Boeing also has an Analysis & Experimentation Center (AEC) in Bangalore, which in partnership with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) provides modeling, analysis capability and defense experimentation in support of the Indian Armed Forces.