India will soon have a new watchman to strengthen its security in the Indian Ocean. This watchman will not only monitor our maritime boundary from the sky but is also capable of detecting and destroying enemy submarines in deep water. The name of this new watchman is P-8I aircraft.
India is purchasing four such aircraft equipped with surveillance and jamming capabilities from the US next year. India has the option to buy six more Boeing. If the sources are to be believed, by the end of 2021 these six aircraft can be purchased.
Specially prepared for maritime surveillance
The P-8A variant P-8I has been specially designed for maritime surveillance. According to the news of the Hindustan Times, I mean here from India. The aircraft is equipped with Harpoon Block II and light torpedoes. It can carry 129 Sonobuoys with it. Sonobuoys are used to reconnaissance submarines hidden in deep water. Apart from this, anti-ship missiles can also be fired. Simply put, this is the time for submarines.
Target up to 2200 km range
Its range is about 2200 km. Apart from this, it can fly at 490 nautical miles or 789 kilometers per hour. According to government sources, negotiations are yet to begin for the purchase of six more P-8I aircraft. It has also been reported that this defense deal was approved in November 2019, long before the deadlock with China in Ladakh.
Have shown strength in LAC and Doklam
This aircraft can also be used in other areas besides maritime defense. The army relied on reconnaissance aircraft for surveillance during the Ladakh standoff with China. Apart from this, it was also used during the Doklam controversy of 2017.
China's rising steps in the sea is a matter of concern
This defense deal is important for India because of China's increasing steps in the sea including the South China Sea. China has already acquired several ports in Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iran, and East Africa. It is believed that China is doing this to challenge the Nosaina of America, France, and Britain with the Indian Navy. China has a 70 percent stake in the Kyukaipu Port in Myanmar, which is located in the Bay of Bengal. Hambantota port in South Sri Lanka also dominates the Indian Ocean
China can move in the Indian Ocean like LAC
Security experts are apprehensive that what China did recently on LAC, it could do something in the Indian Ocean as well. In such a situation, the danger of the dragon is very real and it is very important to be careful.