Boeing Company submitted a proposal Thursday to sell eight long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine P-8A aircraft to the Indian navy, news reports said, according to DPA. "A high-level team today submitted its proposal to develop and deliver the P-8A aircraft, which is currently under development for the US navy," Rick Buck, programme manager of Boeing, was quoted as saying by PTI news agency. The company has also invited India to be its technical development partner for the aircraft. The proposed offer for sale of P-8As would be the first direct military sale for Boeing in India. So far US companies have made military sales to India only on a government-to-government basis. "The proposed aircraft is expected to undergo first tests in 2009 for the US Navy, and would provide India with futuristic technology and significantly improved maritime patrol and reconnaissance capability," Buck said. The Indian navy floated requests for proposals for the aircraft in December 2005. Companies approached besides Boeing include Lockheed Martin of the US, French Dassault and ATR, Brazil's Embraer and Russia's Illyushin, Tupolov and Alenia Aeronautica. Buck said Boeing's proposal includes development of the Indian navy's need-centric P-8A configuration, test and certification activities and eight aircraft to be delivered over a four-year period. The P-8A aicraft has a range of 600 nautical miles and comes armed with Torpedoes, Harpoon missiles and depth bombs. Boeing, which recently clinched a 6-billion-dollar deal to supply Indian flag carrier Air India with 68 civilian 777 Dreamliner jets, also announced Thursday will invest 1.5 billion dollars, directly and indirectly, as part of the deal.
