The Boeing P-8I (“India”) is a long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft operated by the Indian Navy, a customised export derivative of the US Navy’s P-8A Poseidon, giving India one of the most capable long-range maritime surveillance and ASW platforms in the Indian Ocean region.[1]
Based on the Boeing 737 commercial airliner airframe, the P-8I is fitted with a comprehensive maritime-patrol mission suite including surface-search radar, an advanced acoustic (sonobuoy) processing system for submarine detection, magnetic-anomaly-adjacent sensor integration, and electronic-support-measures equipment, alongside a weapons bay and underwing hardpoints for torpedoes, anti-ship missiles (including Harpoon) and depth charges.[1]
The P-8I provides the Indian Navy with long-range maritime domain awareness across the Indian Ocean Region, conducting anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, maritime reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions, and has been used extensively to monitor foreign naval activity — including submarine movements — throughout India’s maritime zones of interest.[1]
| Type | Long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Boeing (USA), based on 737 airframe |
| Role | ASW, anti-surface warfare, maritime reconnaissance |
| Sensors | Surface-search radar, acoustic/sonobuoy processing, ESM suite |
| Weapons | Torpedoes, anti-ship missiles (Harpoon), depth charges |
| User | Indian Navy |