Bengaluru: The Indian Navy will become all the more secure and robust with the induction of four more P8I aircraft, starting April. 

P8I aircraft had played a phenomenal role in gathering information along the border sharing Pakistan after the gruesome Pulwama attacks last year. 

After more than a year of the attacks, the Indian Navy will have four more such aircraft at its disposal. 

According to officials, from April the navy will begin inducting them worth $1.1 billion, orders for which were placed in 2016. This procurement is under an option clause as part of the earlier procurement of 8 P8Is between 2013 and 2015 worth $2.1 billion, as reported by Economic Times.

The website further adds that the navy also plans to procure six more P8Is under a different deal through the foreign military sales route between India and the US. The Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisition Council had cleared this procurement in November. 

As per Boeing website, the P-8A Poseidon uses a first-in-industry in-line production system that leverages the best of Boeing Commercial and Boeing Defense for development and production.

The aircraft is a blessing in that it is designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. 

The P-8 delivers highest levels of quality, reliability, and operability. A true multi-mission aircraft, it is defined by a unique combination of state-of-the-art sensors, proven weapons systems, and a globally recognized platform.

The website further adds that P8I are called so because of their Indian connect. 

It is interesting to note that the aircraft has more than 25,000 flight hours, thereby giving Indian Navy a significant edge in the Indian Ocean region. With 8 aircraft already in the Navy’s kitty, it makes it the second largest fleet in the world. 

The aircraft has a speed of 789 km/hr and a range of 2,222 kilometres.