This order provides for long-lead material and activities in support of 16 P-8A lot 11 MPA aircraft, including six for the US Navy, four for the government of New Zealand, and six for the Republic of Korea.
Work will mainly be performed in Seattle and is expected to be completed in June 2020, the Pentagon added.
New Zealand announced plans to buy four P-8A Poseidon MPAs in July 2018. The country’s Defense Minister, Ron Mark, then said the aircraft were acquired from the United States through its foreign military sales program and would cost US$1.6 billion.
“Maintaining maritime patrol capacity is essential for new Zealand’s national security and for our ability to contribute to global security efforts,” Mark then told local medias. The four aircraft will replace the RNZAF aging fleet of six P-3 Orion MPAs.
South Korea’s P-8A procurement project was cleared by the US Department of State in Sept. 2018. The package for six aircraft and a range of mission systems, support and training is valued at $2.1 billion, says the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency. South Korea currently operates a fleet of 16 P-3C MPAs. Given this, the country will have “no difficulty transitioning its [maritime surveillance aircraft] force to the P-8A,” the DSCA added.
