Posted on 03/31/2011 8:12:24 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
INTERVIEW: Boeing Gets India OK For Four More P-8I Maritime Planes
By Nikhil Gulati and Santanu Choudhury
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW DELHI (Dow Jones)--India's federal government has approved the purchase of four more P-8I long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft from Boeing Co., a senior executive at the U.S. defense contractor said Thursday.
The company also expects India to sign a final agreement in the next few months for the purchase of 10 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters, Chris Chadwick, President of Boeing Military Aircraft, told Dow Jones Newswires.
Boeing and its U.S. rival, Lockheed Martin Corp., are vying with India's traditional weapons supplier, Russia, and others such as France and Germany to capture a share of India's lucrative market. Boeing expects India to buy defense equipment worth $31 billion over the next decade as the South Asian country buys new weapons to upgrade its Soviet-vintage equipment.
In October 2009 Boeing submitted initial bids to the Indian Air Force offering the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter and the CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift, twin-rotor helicopter.
The bids are in response to India seeking proposals from global companies to supply its air force with 22 combat helicopters and 15 heavy-lift helicopters.
Chadwick didn't disclose the value of the deal for the four P-8I aircraft, but said the approval was given by India recently and the aircraft will be delivered after 2015.
The four P-8I planes will add to the eight ordered by India in January 2009 for $2.1 billion. The eight planes ordered initially will be delivered between January 2013 and December 2015 to the Indian Navy to strengthen its capabilities in the high seas.
Chadwick also said Boeing has
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Ping.
Are the sides of th main wheels exposed in their retracted position, or is that an illusion in the picture?
a 737 sub hunter? nice...
1) No MAD boom
2) TurboFAN, not turboPROP so I doubt that the range/endurance/economy will match the P-3
3) No opening side hatches or plexiglass nose observer station like on the P2V, so the “WHEEEE!” factor of tossing out a smoke block then making an attack run on the smoke with Zuni rockets is gone.... :-(
if it is the proper variant of the 737, they have some pretty nice range to then - even enough to go transatlantic, IIRC.
The P-8I for Indian navy are fitted with magnetic anomaly detection. They are taken off USN P-8As because (NAVAIR) negated the need for MAD, and it reduces the weight.
And (P-2 Neptune like) plexiglass nose observer is not even an requirement anymore. Its not the 60’s. Even P-3 Orions dont have them. P-8I are not built for ground attack but to detect and take out the enemy from stand off ranges.
The P-8I has higher cruising speed therefore it can cover larger area than a comparable turboprop aircraft thus one would need fewer jet based MR aircrafts. Hence a jet powered platform would be more cost effective. Also having a higher max speed means P-8 can get out of the way faster than a turboprop when faced with hostile aircraft.
Just out of curiosity, how do you detect a submerged sub from standoff range? MAD gear won’t work. Do they now used sonobouys dropped by cruise missile?
I guess I should have used a sarcasm tag.
However, it was quite a kick riding in the nose of the P2V during rocket runs!
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The 737 doesn’t have wheel covers. they are exposed
Usually they rely on detection by other assets. Helicopters typically. They send back the targeting info and trigger the stand off weapon.
Interesting. I didn’t know that.
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