Navy chief to commission new P-8I squadron in Goa tomorrow

Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar will commission India’s second P-8l aircraft squadron at INS Hansa in Goa on Tuesday, a boost for the navy’s anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities, officials familiar with the development said.

The navy’s first P-8I squadron, consisting of eight aircraft, is based at INS Rajali in Arakkonam. The Goa-based, Indian Naval Air Squadron 316, will operate four P-8I planes. These aircraft will further strengthen the navy’s capabilities to deter, detect and destroy any threat in the Indian Ocean Region, the officials said.

INAS 316 has been christened ‘The Condors’, after the vulture.

India inked a $1-billion deal with the US in 2016 for the four Boeing P-8Is that will form the second squadron. The contract was a follow-on order to eight P-81 planes bought by India in an earlier deal worth $2.1 billion. The P-8I is a military derivative of Boeing’s 737-800 commercial aircraft.

The planes were bought as a replacement for the Soviet-era Tu-142 fleet and are expected to be in naval service beyond 2050.

The P-8I is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing developed for the US Navy.