Boeing has secured a $3.4 billion contract from the U.S. Navy to manufacture P-8A Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force and the German Navy.
According to the company, the first of the 14 Poseidons ordered by Canada is expected in 2026, an acquisition intended to replace the country’s CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft.
Canada firmed up its P8A purchase in November as part of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft program and its efforts to align itself with its Five Eyes allies—the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand—who also use the aircraft.
The P-8A deliveries to Germany begin in 2025, expanding its navy’s five-aircraft fleet to eight.
In July 2022, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence announced that funding had been released for the three aircraft and a simulator for training future P-8A crews. It said the Poseidon fleet would take over the submarine hunting and maritime reconnaissance missions of the German Navy’s P-3C Orion.
The aircraft has executed over 600,000 flight hours and is employed by several nations for various purposes. “Together with our partners, we look forward to delivering this unmatched capability in addition to significant industrial benefits for Canada’s and Germany’s aerospace and defense industries,” said Vince Logsdon, vice president of international Business Development for Boeing Defense, Space & Security and Global Services.