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ARLINGTON, Va. — The government of Canada has requested the sale of up to 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and support equipment under the Foreign Military Sales program at an estimated cost of $5.9 billion, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in a June 27 release.
“The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale,” the DSCA said, noting that the agency had delivered the certification to Congress.
Once finalized, the sale would make Canada the seventh nation to procure the P-8A, the others being the United States, Australia, United Kingdom, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea, and Germany. India procured a modified version, the P-8I.
In addition to the aircraft, the proposed procurement includes mission systems and “aircraft spares; spare engines; support equipment; operational support systems; training; training devices; maintenance trainer/classrooms; engineering technical assistance (ETA); logistics technical assistance (LTA); Country Liaison Officer (CLO) support; Contractor Engineering Technical Services (CETS); Contractor Logistics Support (CLS); repair and return; transportation; aircraft ferry; other associated training and support; and other related elements of logistics and program support,” the DSCA said.
The major sensor and defensive systems included in the proposal are:
- APY-10 Radar
- AAQ-2 Acoustic System
- ALQ-240 Electronic Support Measures
- MX-20HD Electro-Optical/Infrared system
- ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispenser Systems
- NexGen Missile Warning Sensors
- AAQ-24(V)N Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures System
The Canadian Air Force currently flies the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora — a version of the P-3 Orion — first delivered in the 1980s.
