Boeing Optimistic With Prospects Of P-8A Poseidon

From Nor Baizura Basri SINGAPORE, Feb 17 (Bernama) -- Boeing is optimistic with the prospects of its P-8A Poseidon given its capability to cater to broad-area maritime and littoral operations. Its Director of Business Development for Maritime Programs, James D. Detwiler, said in terms of the Poseidon, the focus is in Asia, Europe and America. "There is a lot of maritime mature fleets out there. If you look at the spectrum of that, it gives you some ideas about the customers that we are talking to," he told a media briefing on the sidelines of the Singapore Air Show here Tuesday. Apart from the US Navy which is currently using the plane, only India and Australia are the international clients that have purchased the aircraft. The initial eight aircraft deliveries for Indian Navy were completed while the Royal Australian Airforce, which inked the agreement in August 2015, is looking for first aircraft delivery late this year. Detwiler said one of the advantages of P-8 was that it would be 50 to 75 per cent cheaper on a cost per hour basis to operate compared to a lot of legacy aircraft. On whether Boeing would push for the proposals for the P-8A purchases in South-East Asia, he said: "I can only say, it is a global marketplace and we are talking to every corner of the globe." Earlier, Detwiler said, in search and rescue operation, for example, in the case of MH370, the P-8A has the ability to search for an extra two or three hours more, which was seen as crucial for search and rescue operation. Based on Boeing’s Next-Generation 737-800 commercial airplane, the P-8A offers the world's most advanced anti-submarine, anti-surface warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. -- BERNAMA