India signs $1 billion deal with US for 4 P-8I submarine hunter aircrafts

India has signed a $1-billion deal with the US defence and aerospace giant Boeing for four P-8I submarine hunter planes, sources have said.

India has already bought eight P-8l planes in a $2.1 billion deal and the new contract is a follow-on order. The new fleet will improve the anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare capabilities of Indian Navy.

The P-8I is a military derivative of Boeing’s 737-800 commercial aircraft and a replacement for the Soviet-era Tu-142 fleet. Apart from strategic blue water and littoral undersea warfare capabilities, the planes will provide armed intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to the Indian navy.