The company Boeing has begun production of the first of 14 new P-8A Poseidon aircraft destined for the Royal Canadian Air Force, under the framework of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) program. The introduction of these aircraft is intended to replace the current CP-140 Aurora fleet and strengthen the North American country’s maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, and anti-surface warfare capabilities.
The CMMA project предусматривает the acquisition of a long-range, high-endurance multi-mission aircraft optimized for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance tasks. In addition to the aircraft themselves, the program scope includes spare parts, training devices, support equipment, mission support centers, integrated logistics support, weapons and consumables, infrastructure, capability upgrades, and initial in-service support.
In December 2023, Canada and the United States formalized a government-to-government agreement for the purchase of up to 16 P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). On that occasion, the Canadian government confirmed the acquisition of 14 units with an option for two additional aircraft, with the objective of modernizing its fleet and meeting national and international defense commitments.
The project has an estimated cost exceeding 10.4 billion Canadian dollars, including up to 5.9 billion U.S. dollars allocated to the aircraft, training devices, associated equipment, and system configuration. The budget also includes investments in infrastructure, simulators, and weapons, while long-term fleet sustainment through 2055 is estimated at more than 10 billion dollars in additional funding.
In March 2024, the United States Navy awarded Boeing a 3.4-billion-dollar contract for the manufacture of 17 P-8A Poseidon aircraft under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The agreement included orders from Canada, for 14 units, and from Germany, for three aircraft, consolidating the international expansion of this model.
According to the schedule provided by the company, the first P-8A Poseidon will be delivered to Canada in 2026, with an expected production cadence of approximately one aircraft per month until the committed units are completed. With this progressive incorporation, the Royal Canadian Air Force will move forward with the retirement of the CP-140 Aurora—aircraft that have been in service for more than 40 years—and transition toward a platform with greater capabilities to address current and future challenges in the maritime domain.
Images courtesy of the Government of Canada and Boeing Defense.
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