The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Missouri, is awarded a $109,155,844 firm-fixed-price order to procure P-8A Poseidon training systems for the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). This order procures one Operational Flight Trainer (OFT) with one OFT Brief/Debrief Station (BDS); one Weapons Tactics Trainers (WTTs) with one WTT BDS; one 10-seat flight management systems trainer electronic classroom; one 10-seat mission systems desktop trainer electronic classroom; one training system support center; one scenario generation station; one virtual maintenance trainer; one maintenance support cabinet; and one 10-seat maintenance electronic classroom.
Additionally, this order provides for software, books and other publications, contracts, logistics, engineering and management technical assistance required for the development, production, test and in-country delivery, installation and inspection of the training systems. Work will be performed in St. Louis, Missouri; Tampa, Florida; Long Island, New York and is expected to be completed in January 2024. Foreign Military Sales funds in the amount of $109,155,844 will be obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center, Training Systems Division, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity.
Boeing publicly identified the (RNZAF) as a potential customer in 2008, as a replacement for its P-3K2 Orions, due for replacement in 2025. The Orion aircraft have been operational since the 1960s and are expected to reach the end of their operational life in 2025. In April 2017, the U.S. State Department approved the possible foreign military sale of up to four P-8As with equipment and support, valued at US$1.46 billion. In July 2018, the New Zealand government announced the purchase of four P-8As, to begin operations in 2023. Four P-8As were ordered in March 2019, completion is expected by June 2020.
The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is a military aircraft developed and produced by Boeing modified from the 737-800ERX. It was developed for the United States Navy (USN). The P-8 operates in the anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and shipping interdiction roles. It is armed with torpedoes, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and other weapons, can drop and monitor sonobuoys, and can operate in conjunction with other assets, including unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The P-8 is operated by the United States Navy, the Indian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF). It has also been ordered by the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF), the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), and the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN).