THE first P-81 aircraft for the Indian Navy has made its maiden flight from Boeing's Renton Field in Seattle. The P-81 is the first of eight long-range maritime reconnafissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft Boeing is building for India as part of a contract awarded in January 2009. An option for four additional P-81 aircraft was included in the original contract. In the coming weeks Boeing will begin mission systems installation and checkout work on the aircraft at a company facility near Boeing Field. Based on the Boeing Next-Generation 737 commercial airliner, the P-81 is the Indian Navy variant of the P-8A Poseidon that Boeing is developing for the US Navy and which is expected to replace some of the RAAF's P-3C Orions under Phase 2 of Project Air 7000.
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