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Cmde Alok Bhatnagar, Naval Attache at the Indian
Embassy in Washington D.C., and other Indian Navy
officers received the aircraft on-site in accordance
with the contract, awarded in 2009. Indian naval
pilots and technicians, some of whom have been
stationed here to monitor the progress of the
project and some others, will now conduct test
and training flights with US Navy assistance before
this aircraft is taken home mid-2013.
India will receive two more fully-equipped P-8Is
within 2013.
The Indian Navy is the first foreign customer
to get this sophisticated aircraft, and just around
the same time as the US Navy is getting it. P-8I
is a variant of the US Navy's Poseidon P-8A MMA
( Multimission Maritime Aircraft), designed for
long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine
warfare.
The Indian variant has certain Indian components,
including communication software and IFF (Identify
Friend or Foe) to align with Indian naval and
Air Force aircraft and net-centric systems.
A Boeing statement said that the manufacturing
program is progressing on schedule, and that Boeing
is already assembling the fourth and fifth P-8Is.
Notably, all the eight aircraft are being equipped
with Boeing's Harpoon Block II anti-shipping missiles,
Raytheon's highly advanced AN/APY-10 forward looking
radar with 240 degree coverage, Telefonic’s
aft-looking radar for rear coverage and a data
recorder by DRS Technologies, all US companies.
A small group of Indian journalists were shown
the P-8I during construction mid-2012.
The first aircraft has completed nearly all the
mandatory and stipulated tests and now, some live
firing exercises could be conducted off the US
western coast. The weapons used in the tests do
not generally have warheads.
The exact testing programme and schedule is though
secret.
Rear Admiral DM Sudan, Assistant Chief of Naval
Staff (Air), the Navy’s top aviator, has
been on board the aircraft for flights in the
past and described the P-8I as a game changer.
The officers who took delivery now, have also
been beaming with pride at the Navy’s new
acquisition.
The Indian Navy has been using Soviet-vintage
TU-142 and Il-38 vintage aircraft for long range
surveillance and Dornier 228s for short range
patrols. But the capability on board the P-8Is
is a trend setter for the future.
The Navy has already opted to buy four more P-8Is,
and a few more of the same of similar – depending
upon the technologies available – later.
The US Navy itself is buying 108 aircraft.
Significantly, the first US Navy P-8A was delivered
only in March 2012, and since then five of these
aircraft have been delivered. The US aircraft
do not need aft radars as the Navy and US Air
Force have several surveillance assets in the
air any time. The P-8A aircraft however is primarily
meant to function in alignment with the unmanned
Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) aircraft
(designated MQ-4C Triton), which is still under
development by Northrop Grumman.
The P-8I has 11 hard points for carrying weapons
for Harpoons and depth charges, and five stations
in the weapons bay for Raytheon-supplied Mk-54
torpedoes. Two hard points upfront are for Search
and Rescue equipment.
There are five operator stations, and windows
for outside view. All the systems are integrated
with the onboard Mission Computer and Display
System for control and data distribution in high
speeds with ultra-high resolution. The APY 10
radar is developed keeping in mind not just the
land but waters of the vast oceans as well, be
it a day and night. It is capable of tracking
even small vessels in littoral and high seas environments.
The Indian variant also has the Magnetic Anomaly
Detector (MAD) – which measures minute variations
and disturbances in the earth’s magnetic
field caused by the underwater movement of steel-encased
submarines. As the system is a little heavy –
about 1500 kg – the US Navy is instead using
a much smaller new hydrocarbon sensor to detect
fumes from diesel submarines. The reduction in
weight adds to the aircraft’s range.
It may be noted that arms companies can only
offer what is agreed to between the two countries,
in this case the US and India. Every thing on
board the US version is not available for exports,
but the US State and Defense Departments have
cleared nearly every item that the Indian Navy
asked for.
The APY 10 radar is believed to be a little less
powerful than that of the the US Navy’s but
then, according to US sources, “India and
US have different requirement and the radar offered
to the Indian Navy meets what is asked for by
the Indian Navy.”
Boeing is also offering sonobuoys for detecting
submarines. They have underwater sensors to detect
the noise generated by submarine engines, and
transmitters to supply data to the aircraft overhead.
The P-8I features an open system architecture,
advanced sensor and display technologies, and
a worldwide base of suppliers, parts and support
equipment. P-8I aircraft are built by a Boeing-led
industry team that includes CFM International,
Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Spirit AeroSystems,
BAE Systems and GE Aviation. The aircraft itself
is a Boeing 738-800 with wings of 737-900 to help
improve aerodynamics over water.
The P8 is a potent weapon system, and once a
hostile vessel is detected, it is virtually impossible
for it to escape destruction. Submarines are offensive
systems, and with their numbers steadily rising
around India, the Indian Navy has to deploy more
and more of airborne assets, matching the sophistication
of silence that is steadily growing with each
new generation of stealth warships and submarines.
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