India's latest maritime surveillance aircraft, P8I, has landed at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, signalling the Navy's plan to increasingly use the islands to keep an eye on the three crucial sea lanes used by China to ferry its cargo.
The maiden landing of the first P8I at INS Utkorsh in Port Blair on Tuesday gave the aircraft's pilots and crew an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the facilities at the island, which would come handy if the government wanted to operate a few of these surveillance aircraft from the island.
The aircraft is equipped with sensors for maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine operations and electronic intelligence missions. It carries state-of-the-art sensors and highly potent anti-surface and anti-submarine weapons.
India purchased eight such aircraft from the US in a $2.1-billion deal. The first one had arrived in May, and the second P8I was expected to reach India by September.
The US-origin aircraft, with a range of 8,600 km and an endurance of 10 hours, is based at the INS Rajali, a naval air station on the Tamil Nadu coast.
The new P8I, with the call-sign IN 321, was received in the islands by Andaman and Nicobar Command Commander-in-Chief Air Marshal P K Roy, along with senior officers of the Unified Command.
P8I is the Indian naval variant of the P8A “Poseidon” aircraft that Boeing developed for the US Navy. India is the first international customer of this aircraft. With the first eight aircraft likely to arrive by 2015, the navy is acquiring an additional four P8I.
Acquisition of 12 P8I will complete the first phase of the Navy’s requirement of 24 long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft.
Because of the island's strategic location, the Navy also plans to deploy its medium-range Dornier surveillance aircraft at its furthest air station at Campbell Bay to keep a regular watch on the oil and cargo traffic passing through the strategic Malacca and other two straits.