P-8A production scheduled for NATO’s northern MPA trio
The future position of Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon as NATO’s de-facto maritime patrol aircraft moved a step closer on 25 January with the latest batch announcement detailing the production and delivery of 19 aircraft for the US, UK and Norway.
The US Navy will receive ten aircraft, the UK four and Norway five, in this Lot 10 manufacturing phase, under a contract totalling nearly $2.5 billion.
A further breakdown of the figures indicates that Norway is paying $139 million per aircraft, with the US and UK each contracted at $125 million and $126 million respectively.
At the Farnborough Airshow in July
Already have an account? Log in
Want to keep reading this article?
More from Naval Warfare
-
UK’s $1 billion AUKUS support request signals strong ongoing US collaboration
The latest foreign military sales request from the UK has implications for the future of the programme and collaboration between the three nations.
-
What the rise of interoperability between Western allies means for defence procurement
Major naval initiatives including the European Patrol Corvette programmes and Norway’s UK partnership-focused purchase of Type 26 frigates point to the growing interest in the advantages of commonality across allied navies.
-
Kraken’s Royal Navy USV contract signals next step in crewed-uncrewed integration
The UK Royal Navy’s rapid procurement of uncrewed platforms aligns with the force’s strategic shift towards a fleet better equipped to handle modern threats.