New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh flew a sortie in the P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft of the Indian Navy during his visit to Mumbai.  The defence minister flew the sortie on May 17, hours after he launched two frontline warships of the Indian Navy at the Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL).

Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal on May 18 said, “Defence Minister Singh, during his visit to Mumbai, undertook a sortie on the Indian Navy P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.” The flight crew for this sortie comprised of two Pilots and seven Naval Air Operations Officers including three women officers.

The Indian Navy during the mission demonstrated electronic warfare, imagery intelligence, long range surveillance, anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue capabilities employing state-of-the-art mission suite and sensors.

The P-8I aircraft with its superior maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and operational readiness has proven to be an important asset to the Navy. The induction of the P8I aircraft in 2013 has significantly enhanced the Indian Navy’s persistent surveillance operations in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Indian Navy was the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft, which is produced by US aerospace major Boeing.