Canada approved for Poseidon MMA

An artist's impression of the Boeing P-8A Poseidon in Royal Canadian Air Force colours and markings. (Boeing)

The US government has approved the sale to Canada of the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime multimission aircraft (MMA).

The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the Department of State approval and the prospective procurement of 16 aircraft on 27 June. The sale, which also includes spares, training, and support, would be valued at approximately USD5.9 billion.

“This proposed sale will increase Canadian maritime forces' interoperability with the United States and other allied forces, as well as their ability to contribute to missions of mutual interest. This will significantly improve network-centric warfare capability for the US forces operating globally alongside Canada,” the DSCA said.

The Canadian government is looking to acquire the Poseidon for its Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) requirement to replace the ageing Lockheed CP-140 Auroras of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The RCAF, which operates all Canadian military aviation, fields 14 P-3 Orion-derived CP-140 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) that were first received in 1980. Although the fleet has lately been upgraded with Link 11 and Link 16 datalinks, the service is seeking a replacement for the 2030 timeframe.

The P-8A Poseidon is flown by the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the Royal Norwegian Air Force, the UK Royal Air Force, and the US Navy, and is on order with the Republic of Korea Navy and the German Navy. The P-8I Neptune variant is flown by the Indian Navy.