Jane Edwards
The U.K. government plans to order the first of nine Boeing-built P-8 Poseidon aircraft in the summer of 2016 through a contract worth approximately $2.9 billion in support of its maritime surveillance efforts, The Telegraph reported Tuesday.
Alan Tovey writes Michael Fallon, U.K. defense secretary, made the announcement during a visit to a military installation in Jacksonville, Florida.
Fallon said the planned procurement aims to help the U.K. protect its nuclear submarines from potential threats as well as meet NATO’s two-percent target for defense spending.
The P-8s will replace the country’s Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft program that was canceled by the U.K. government in 2010, according to the report.
P-8A Poseidon is designed for use in intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance operations as well as anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare missions.
Boeing will manufacture the planes at its facility in Washington, the report added.
