Boeing’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat Initiative With P-8I Aircraft And Ambitions For More Orders

Boeing, a big US aerospace company, laid out its plan for improving engineering, production, and maintenance of the P-8I long-range maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft in India on Thursday. The company is hoping to get an order for six more of these planes. The Indian Navy has 12 P-8I planes right now.

The company said that it had already had a big effect on the economy, to the tune of USD 1.7 billion, by helping to keep the Indian Navy’s current fleet of P-8I planes running.

Boeing said it thinks that expanding the P-8I fleet to 18 planes will increase spending by about USD 1.5 billion and give India’s aerospace and defense industry more chances to use Indian-made parts by 2032.

“Boeing’s commitment to advancing the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision is what drives our dedication to the P-8I fleet,” said Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India.

At a media briefing, he said, “As we work to meet the Indian Navy’s need for more P-8I aircraft, we are actively looking for ways to improve engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance capabilities in India, for India, and the world.” This would help both Indian and international customers.

Since it joined the Indian Navy’s fleet in 2013, the P-8I aircraft, which is built on the 737 Next Generation platform, has flown more than 40,000 hours and has high mission readiness rates.

Boeing was very important in building the Ashok Roy Training Simulator Complex at INS Rajali and the Kochi Training Complex, which opened in April of this year.

They said that this training on the ground cuts down on the time spent teaching in the air, which improves the Indian Navy’s mission skills and makes more aircraft available.

Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager of Mobility, Surveillance, and Bombers for Boeing Defense, Space, and Security, said, “We’re proud to work with the Indian Navy on the P-8, which is a proven multi-mission aircraft with unique capabilities that improve interoperability and maritime security for India and the Indo-Pacific.”

“Boeing is also committed to growing its P-8 supplier network in India, which currently includes 15 public and private Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that are part of Boeing’s global supply chain and provide important parts, components, and services for the P-8.”

Boeing says that the P-8 fleet has more than 160 planes that have flown around the world for more than 500,000 hours without an accident.

The United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, and Germany are also using the plane, in addition to India.