India to buy 6 P-8I Poseidon aircraft for over $3.5bn
India is set to buy six new P-8I Poseidon aircraft from the US for over $3.5 billion, mainly to boost its surveillance over the seas.
The price per plane has gone up due to supply chain hiccups: each one now costs about $500 million to $600 million, compared to an earlier deal where eight were bought for $2.1 billion.
Cabinet P-8I note due May 2026
A note for the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, is expected to be ready by May 2026.
These P-8Is are custom-built for India and play a big role in keeping an eye on things in places like Ladakh and out at sea: they're especially good at tracking submarines and surface threats.
The Navy already flies 12 of these jets, while the Stryker armored vehicle discussion is off, but there's still interest in picking up more U.S.-made Javelin anti-tank missiles.