CHENNAI: India has inducted its first Boeing Poseidon-8I aircraft, which will boost long range maritime snooping and warfare capability, into Navy at its air station INS Rajali on Wednesday.
Indian Navy Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command Vice Admiral, B K Varma, said "The aircraft is to be used for broad-area maritime and anti-submarine operations. The aircraft is going to be a unique part in our anti-surface warfare, surveillance and intelligence capacities. It is capability based planning, not a threat based planning, that India follows to enhancement of maritime border security."
The Boeing P8I is armed with anti-ship Harpoon missiles, Mark-54 anti-submarine torpedoes and Mark-82 depth bombs and was handed over to India in Seattle in December 2012, the Times of India report said.
It also has a Global Positioning System ( GPS)-cum-Inertial Navigation System that ensures accuracy in hitting targets.
In 2009 India signed a US $2 Billion contract for a batch of eight aircraft, of which seven will be delivered by 2015. (QNA)
