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India Eyes Six More P-8I Submarine-Hunter Jets in $4 Billion US Deal, Boosting Indian Ocean Surveillance
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Washington and New Delhi are preparing to restart stalled defense talks that could see India acquire six additional Boeing P-8I maritime patrol aircraft in a deal worth about $4 billion, Bloomberg reported on September 11.
A US Defense Department delegation, joined by Boeing executives, is expected in New Delhi next week to reopen negotiations that have drifted since India cleared the procurement in 2019. The timing comes as both sides attempt to stabilize a strained trade relationship while advancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
🚨US Team To Visit India For $4 Billion P-8I Naval Patrol Jet Deal As Trade Talks Warm Up pic.twitter.com/poOLV6kSfP
— India & The World (@IndianInfoGuid) September 11, 2025
The P-8I, derived from the Boeing 737, is India’s long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. It blends commercial reliability with a military mission package built for sea control: modern surface search radar, a large sonobuoy loadout, and weapons for both anti-submarine and anti-surface missions.
India already operates 12 P-8Is, with the first batch of eight contracted in 2009 and another four arriving a decade later.
Based primarily at INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu, the fleet covers the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and regularly pushes toward the Malacca Strait, according to Bloomberg. Crews use the platform to track submarines, shadow foreign survey vessels, monitor sea lanes, and even assist in search and rescue.
Adding six more aircraft would expand India’s ability to sustain multiple surveillance lines at once. With 12 jets, commanders often face trade-offs when balancing crises across different theaters.
Eighteen aircraft would allow near-continuous coverage of tanker routes in the Arabian Sea, barriers around the Andaman and Nicobar chain, and surge patrols into the Mozambique Channel during periods of tension, Bloomberg notes.
The P-8I’s real strength lies in persistence and networking. Its AN/APY-10 radar can detect periscopes and small surface craft, while the sonobuoy system provides wide-area acoustic coverage.
Negotiations for 6 more P-8I likely ongoing?
— Adithya Krishna Menon (@AdithyaKM_) August 19, 2025
India ordered 8 P-8I in 2009. Ordered 4 more in 2016.
If Navy & MoD have not even attempted to create a domestic alternative, what aatmanirbharta are we seeking exactly?
Ambition, accountability & long term planning are seemingly… https://t.co/S29T5FvBnC pic.twitter.com/lLdrwzcjmi
India’s variant integrates local communications gear like BEL’s Data Link II, enabling seamless data sharing with ships, submarines, and joint headquarters. Armament includes AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles for anti-ship strikes and Mk 54 lightweight torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare.
Bloomberg wrote that for Washington, a P-8I deal would check several boxes: a visible, low-risk sale of a proven system; a contribution to shrinking the US trade deficit with India; and another step away from India’s reliance on Russian hardware.
President Donald Trump has recently signaled a desire to revive trade negotiations after friction over tariffs and India’s energy ties with Moscow.
Beijing’s growing naval presence in the Indian Ocean adds urgency. Chinese submarines and research ships now operate regularly across the region, supported by port access arrangements that complicate surveillance for India and its partners.
Maritime domain awareness is New Delhi’s first line of defense in this environment, and the P-8I is the daily workhorse delivering that picture.
Earlier, India was preparing to launch a landmark partnership with France to co-develop and manufacture a next-generation jet engine for its fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
The $7 billion project, involving India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and French aerospace giant Safran, is expected to significantly advance India’s defense self-reliance and deepen strategic ties with Paris.
