Canada Selects P-8 Poseidon As New Maritime Patrol Aircraft
The Canadian government announced Thursday that Canada had finalized a government-to-government agreement with the United States to procure up to 16 P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
14 Poseidons will be purchased to replace the RCAF’s 40 year-old CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft, with the agreement providing options for an additional two. Deliveries of the Poseidons are expected to begin in 2026. Under a projected average delivery rate of a single aircraft a month, deliveries of the Poseidons could conclude as early as fall 2027.
Canadian P-8As will be based at 14 Wing Greenwood in Nova Scotia, and 19 Wing Comox in British Columbia. Full operational capability for the Poseidons is expected to be reached by 2033.
“After significant engagement and thorough analysis, we are confident that the P-8A delivers the best anti-submarine and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities for our country”, says a statement from the Canadian Department of National Defence. “The aircraft will operate seamlessly with allies. This platform is a proven capability that is operated by all our Five Eyes allies—the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand—as well as other defence partners.”
The Canadian government estimates its investment for the project at 10.4 billion Canadian dollars (approximately 7.7 billion US dollars). Out of this, up to $5.9 billion USD is budgeted for the P-8A, associated equipment, training devices and sustainment set-up; while the remainder is allocated for additional investments in simulators, infrastructure and weapons.
According to an independent study conducted by Ottawa-based Doyletech Corporation, Boeing’s investments in Canada’s aviation industry under the deal could provide up to 3,000 jobs and CA$358 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product over a 10-year period. CAE, GE Aviation Canada, IMP Aerospace & Defence, KF Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace Canada, Raytheon Canada, and StandardAero are listed by Boeing as main members of its Team Poseidon industry partnership, which it says will ultimately benefit over 260 Canadian companies.
The expanded partnership builds on 81 Canadian firms that are already P-8 suppliers, with Boeing claiming that each P-8A currently operational today has around CA$11 million in Canadian content.