Overview

• The US team and Boeing executives are expected in New Delhi on September 16–19 for negotiations on six additional P-8I maritime patrol aircraft, according to multiple reports.
• Talks will seek updated terms on a deal reported around $3–4 billion, with a fresh price quote required after a May 2021 Foreign Military Sales offer for about $2.42 billion lapsed.
• The delegation is reported to include senior officials from the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, the Navy International Programs Office, PMA-290, and the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
• India already operates 12 P-8I aircraft acquired in 2009 and 2016 for maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare, and the new batch would expand coverage across the Indian Ocean region.
• The outreach follows public signals of warming trade discussions between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and India’s defense ministry has rejected reports of a pause in US arms purchases.