Aircraft · Air
P-8A Poseidon
Maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft with antisubmarine and antisurface warfare missions.
by Boeing · Unveiled Jul 30, 2009 · First fielded 2013
- Milestones2
- Operators1
- Components—
- Programs—
- Capabilities—
- Inputs—
Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Greg L. Davis · Public domain (PD-USGov-Military-Navy) · Resized and reencoded as WebP; no additional crop.
Boeing multimission maritime patrol aircraft for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, maritime awareness and search and rescue. The P-8 uses a 737-derived airframe and an integrated mission system; the P-8I is a distinct Indian Navy variant.
Timeline2
- UnveiledConfirmed
P-8A Poseidon formally unveiled
Formal rollout ceremony at Renton; event date is established by the release dateline and “today”.
- Initial operating capabilityConfirmed
P-8A initial operational capability
The latest 10 milestones. Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.
Operators1
- USUnited States
- First fielded
- 2013
Cost to the Government
Aircraft · Boeing
P-8A Poseidon
Maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft; domestic acquisition estimates and international aircraft packages are reported separately.
Average procurement / aircraft
$208.694M
2019-12 SAR · Then-year USD
Rounded SAR APUC: $25.0433B procurement / 120 production aircraft, including procurement support.
Department of Defense ↗Cumulative U.S. program deliveries
96
2019-12 · U.S. only
91 production and five development; a historical delivery snapshot, not today’s fleet.
Department of Defense ↗Program acquisition quantity
125
2019-12 · U.S. only
120 procurement plus five development in this SAR; separate force requirement was 138.
Department of Defense ↗Development program total
$9.665B
2019-12 SAR · Then-year USD
SAR current RDT&E estimate; separate from procurement and military construction.
Department of Defense ↗Operations & sustainment
Annual O&S / aircraft
$10.55M / yr
FY2018 · Constant FY2018 USD
GAO historical cost for the operational fleet.
GAO ↗Cost over time · 3 observations
Each row retains its original scope and dollar basis. Changing quantities, service life and inflation can change the estimate without changing the price of building one unit.
| Observation | Measure | Amount | Dollar basis | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2013 | Annual O&S / aircraft Early fielding population differs from FY2018. | $8.79M / yr | Constant FY2018 USD | GAO ↗ |
| FY2018 | Annual O&S / aircraft GAO historical cost for the operational fleet. | $10.55M / yr | Constant FY2018 USD | GAO ↗ |
| 2019-12 SAR | Average procurement / aircraft Rounded SAR APUC: $25.0433B procurement / 120 production aircraft, including procurement support. | $208.694M | Then-year USD | Department of Defense ↗ |
Contracts & purchasing · 2 records
Award values, ceilings and purchase agreements have different meanings. These records are not added together as total spending.
2019-01-25 · Firm-fixed-price production lot X
U.S. Navy → Boeing
$1.388B · 10 units in scope
N00019-14-C-0067/5: ten USN aircraft; narrower scope than full-program APUC.
Department of Defense ↗2024-03 · Aircraft production award
Canada / Germany via U.S. Navy → Boeing
$3.4B · 17 units in scope
14 Canadian and three additional German aircraft; not the total FMS support package.
Boeing ↗
Connected missiles & systems
Air-launched torpedo
Mk 54 Lightweight Torpedo →Configuration and air-launch accessories are separate from upgrade-kit prices.
U.S. Navy · government budget document mirror ↗U.S. Navy ↗
International buyers
Canada · 14 · Contracted aircraft · 2024-03
This award covers 14 aircraft; options and approved sale ceilings are separate.
Boeing ↗Germany · 3 · Additional contracted aircraft · 2024-03
Three in this award, not Germany’s total fleet or total orders.
Boeing ↗
Coverage & open research
- Quantity and cost figures retain their source dates. Historical snapshots are not a census of operational availability on the review date.
Unit costs and contract unit prices for this system, and budget figures for the programs that buy it. Each figure states its dollar basis and links its source; contract values are under Programs & awards.