Hindustan Aeronautics to Supply P-8I Weapons Doors

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will provide weapons bay doors for the P-8I aircraft, due to be delivered to the Indian Navy, under a new contract awarded by Boeing.

Under the $4.7m contract, HAL will deliver the first set of doors for eight P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft to Boeing.

Boeing Defense, Space & Security vice-president and country head (India) Vivek Lall said this was the first P-8I offset package that Boeing had directly executed with India's largest aerospace company.

The P-8I features open system architecture, advanced sensor and display technologies, and a worldwide base of suppliers, parts and support equipment.

The P-8I will undergo various missions including anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, maritime interdiction, and long-range intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance.

The aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing is developing for the US Navy.

Boeing is due to deliver the first P-8I aircraft to India within 48 months of the original contract, which was signed in January 2009.