Boeing bullish about further P-8 sales in Singapore

Boeing has high hopes it will secure further P-8 Poseidon international sales as numerous countries seek to recapitalise their maritime surveillance aircraft capabilities or increase existing fleets.

Boeing said that 166 of the multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft have been delivered to six customers to date. The global fleet has clocked more than 560,000 hours since initial deliveries to the US Navy commenced in 2012.

Sean Liedman, director of business development for mobility, surveillance and bomber aircraft at Boeing, told Shephard that he was optimistic about the prospects of P-8 international sales in the years ahead.

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“The US Navy invested significantly to convert a Boeing 737NG into a P-8,” Liedman said. “Future customers benefit from all that investment – there’s virtually no cost, schedule or performance risk. The platform is mature and available off the shelf with a hot production line.”

Liedman also suggested that the P-8’s global consumer base provided sufficient resilience in the sustainment of the platform.

“One of the things we’ve learned from the war in Ukraine is that you can’t depend solely upon your own national supply chain,” he remarked. “Interoperability is no longer sufficient; we need to be interchangeable with our allies. If you can leverage the supply chains of your partners, allies or coalition partners, it gives you resilience to fight in that modern battlespace.”

While the P-8 has been in operational service for more than a decade, a spiral development roadmap has allowed the P-8 to be continually updated to keep pace with the threat environment.

“International customers benefit from the spiral improvements and updates from the US, and I foresee that continuing into the future, because the modern battlespace is changing rapidly,” Liedman noted.

Liedman declined to comment when asked about Boeing’s pitch of the P-8 to Singapore but said that the multi-mission capability, matched with its range, speed and endurance could prove beneficial. The island nation has a requirement to replace its five Fokker 50 Maritime Patrol Aircraft which have been in service since 1994.

It was announced in May 2023 that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Boeing and government-linked ST Engineering (STE) on P-8 sustainment. When asked if it could be linked to a potential Singaporean P-8 deal or for the servicing of aircraft from other operators, Liedman candidly said it could be both.

Torbjorn Sjogren, vice-president of government services for Boeing, told Shephard in a separate media session that the agreement was consistent with how Boeing will partner with parties that could provide quality value-added services.

“When you combine with what Boeing does best – original equipment manufacturer engineering – with STE’s significant depth in maintenance, repair and overhaul, we are able to provide a holistic solution to the customer,” Sjogren said.

Boeing has also been looking to India for additional P-8 orders. The Indian Navy, the first international customer for the aircraft, fields 12 P-8Is – an Indian-specific variant – in two squadrons operating from Arakkonam and Goa. A sale of a six further aircraft was approved by the US government in April 2021 but no order has yet been forthcoming.

“There are negotiations about a follow-on order and the timing, but we are proud of our partnership with the Indian Navy, and the readiness and capability the P-8 is doing around India,” Sjogren added.

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