TSAMTO, June 21. Germany will increase the number of new-generation P-8A Poseidon base patrol aircraft purchased in the United States as part of an increase in national defense spending.
According to Jane's Defense Weekly, citing sources in the German Navy, in early June, the purchase of additional aircraft was approved at the expense of a special fund of $ 100 billion. euro ($107 billion), created to strengthen the German Armed Forces.
According to media reports, at the June 1 meeting of the Budget Committee of the German Parliament, the purchase of additional BPA aircraft was approved. Although the number of these aircraft is not disclosed, according to German media, seven more will be added to the previously acquired five P-8A Poseidon, which will increase the fleet to 12 units. The first of the five Poseidons will be delivered to Germany by the end of October 2024.
Earlier, the German Ministry of Defense stated that the purchase of the first five aircraft was carried out as a temporary measure until the delivery in the early 2030s of BPA aircraft developed as part of the joint MAWS (Maritime Airborne Warfare System) project with France. Nevertheless, Germany's decision to purchase seven more P-8As finally puts an end to the implementation of this Franco-German program. The refusal to develop a European BPA aircraft is likely to force other potential European customers, including Spain and Greece, to make a choice in favor of acquiring an American aircraft. Thus, Germany's reorientation to the purchase of American weapons is gradually "burying" European competencies.
As reported by the TSAMTO, in June 2020, the German Ministry of Defense announced the abandonment of plans to modernize existing P-3C Orion BPA aircraft and conduct a market study to evaluate other available platforms.
The C-295 Persuder of Airbus, the RAS-72 Sea Eagle (a variant of the Rheinland Air Service GmbH ATR-72 modification), and the P-8A Poseidon were considered as possible options.
In turn, at the beginning of 2021, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces proposed to supply the German Navy with four Atlantic-2 maritime patrol aircraft from its Navy to replace the P-3C, but the German Armed Forces recognized the purchase of the P-8A Poseidon as a more optimal solution.
In March 2021, the US State Department approved the potential supply to Germany under the Foreign Military Sales program of 5 P-8A Poseidon basic patrol aircraft, as well as other related equipment and services worth up to $1.77 billion.
In June 2021, Boeing Corporation announced the signing by the German Ministry of Defense of a letter with a proposal and acceptance of an offer to supply five P-8A Poseidon aircraft as part of the Foreign Military Sales program.
Thus, Germany became the eighth customer of this aircraft, joining the USA, Australia, India, Great Britain, Norway, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand.
