The Indian Navy will procure six more P-8I anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance aircraft from the United States, reported news agency ANI on Thursday. At present, the Navy operates such aircraft which plays a key role in carrying out surveillance in multiple areas of India's interest. Known as the game-changer aircraft for the Indian Navy, the P-8I has been used to carry out surveillance over the high-altitude areas in the Ladakh sector revealing the level of Chinese build-up along the Sikkim-Bhutan sector during the Doklam crisis.
The aircraft has also carried out frequent surveillance of the foreign warships and research vessels all along the Indian Ocean Region.
The P-8I anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance aircraft is also known as the Guardian of the Indian Ocean region which has operated for over 44,000 hours in the last 10 years carrying out surveillance over the Indo-Pacific region.
“P-8I aircraft plays a crucial role in being the eyes and ears of the Indian Navy and carries out critical maritime operations providing India’s maritime warriors a significant edge in the strategically important Indian Ocean region. This game-changer aircraft is an important platform for maritime surveillance," Commander Jishnu Madhavan told ANI.
Captain Ajitendra Kant Singh, Commanding Officer of INS 312 squadron at INS Rajali naval air base said, "There is no possibility that any ship or a submarine would pass through the Indian Ocean region without 312 squadron...not knowing about it."