The Navy awarded Boeing [BA] a $3.4 billion undefinitized contract to build and deliver 17 Lot 13 P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft for Canada and Germany.
The order is split between 14 aircraft for Canada and three for Germany.
The vast majority of the work will be performed in Seattle and is expected to be finished by March 2028.
DoD obligated $1.19 billion in Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer funds at the time of award, with none set to expire this fiscal year.
In November, the Canadian government finalized its plans to purchase up to 16 P-8As for the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft program (CMMA). The P-8As will replace Canada’s aging CP-140 Aurora fleet, which dates back to 1980 and is due to retire in 2030 (Defense Daily, Nov. 30, 2023).
Previously, the State Department approved a potential $5.9 billion FMS for the 16 Canadian P-8As. Canada has said it plans for final delivery of its CMMAs by 2038 (Defense Daily, June 27, 2023).
Separately, in 2021 Germany signed a letter of offer and acceptance to procure five P-8As at a value worth about $1.3 billion. Germany decided to procure the P-8As as an interim solution to replace its aging fleet of P-3C Orions (Defense Daily, June 30, 2021).
The P-8As are expected to operate from 2025 to 2035, until a longer-term replacement starts delivering in a cooperative program with France, called the Maritime Airborne Warfare Systems (MAWS). The MAWS is not expected to produce an option until at least 2035.
Earlier in 2021, the State Department approved the possible FMS sale of five P-8As to Germany (Defense Daily, March 12, 2021).