The Navy on Friday awarded Boeing [BA] an $800 million advanced acquisition modification contract to procure long lead material and activities to support Lot 11 P-8A Poseidon aircraft production and delivery.
This modification aims to procure long-lead material and activities to support 18 -P-8A Lot 11 aircraft, with eight for the U.S. Navy, four for New Zealand, and six for South Korea.
The contract announcement noted the P-8A multi-mission maritime aircraft (MMA) has a mission to “provide long-range anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capable of broad-area, maritime and littoral operations.”
Work will largely occur in Seattle and is expected to be finished by June 2020.
The full award of $800 million was obligated at time of award, with none of it set to expire at the end of this fiscal year.
The P-8A operates mostly as an anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and maritime surveillance asset to replace the older P-3 Orion aircraft.
New Zealand signed a contract for four P-8s in July 2018 and South Korea ordered six in November 2018. They expect to take delivery of their respective first P-8s under the order in 2022 (Defense Daily, May 7).