Germany spends big on Poseidon but at what cost for MAWS?
A US Navy P-8 Poseidon MPA conducts an operation over the Atlantic Ocean (Photo: US Navy)
The funding of five P-8 Poseidon MPA will mean Germany retains critical capabilities once a fleet of P-3C Orions retire — but will the decision cause unrest with France?
The decision by the German Parliament budget committee to approve funding for 27 equipment projects, including €1.43 billion ($1.71) billion for five Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), could have damaging repercussions for Franco-German Maritime Airborne Warfare System (MAWS) programme.
Selecting the Poseidon fleet as an interim solution to replace the Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion MPA is unlikely to have been met with approval from France because it suggests that Berlin, with a limited defence budget, will not be in a favourable position to invest heavily in two major MPA programmes.
‘Originally the P-3 was set to undergo a
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