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India is on the verge of signing the biggest defence deal with the US for the acquisition of eight Boeing P-8I Long-Range Maritime Reconnaissance (LRMR) aircraft for the Navy which will cost the tune of $ 1.7 billion. The Cabinet Committee on Security recently gave its go-ahead. With the growing strategic ties, the deal will initiate interoperability between the navies of US and India.
The LRMR aircraft will be specially customized for India and will be based on the model of the Boeing 737 aircraft. The P-81 aircraft will be equipped with a radar and enhance the maritime ‘snooping’ ability with a 600 nautical miles range. The P-8I aircraft will also be armed with Harpoon missiles, torpedoes and depth bombs to give them potent anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capability.
The LRMR planes will replace the eight ageing Russian-origin Tupolev-142Ms.
The first of these LRMR aircraft will be delivered within four years of the contract being actually signed, with the rest being handed over by 2015.
The LRMR deal will also supercede the $962-million contract signed last year with the US for six C-130J `Super Hercules’ aircraft for use by Indian special forces. Apart from the C-130J deal, America’s only other major deal with India in recent years has been the $190-million contract in 2002 to supply 12 AN/TPQ-37 firefinder weapon-locating radars.
India also acquired amphibious transport vessel USS Trenton for $48.23 million, with the six UH-3H helicopters to operate from it costing another $39 million last year.
The Indian Navy has come under pressure due to the recent Mumbai attacks and is gearing up to be more prepared to counter threats from the coastline. Incidentally, the Navy is also in the hunt for six new medium-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft for around $320 million to achieve its aim of an effective three-tier surveillance grid in the entire Indian Ocean.
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