The Government of Canada has signed a Foreign Military Sales Letter of Offer and Acceptance for up to 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft, as part of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) project. Canada joins eight defense partners, including all of the FIVE EYES allies, the intelligence alliance that also includes the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, and becomes the fifth NATO nation to have selected the P-8 as its multi-mission aircraft. First delivery is expected in 2026. The P-8 is the only proven, in-service and in-production solution that meets all CMMA requirements, including range, speed, endurance and payload capacity. This decision will benefit hundreds of Canadian companies, and bring decades of prosperity to Canada through platform sustainment delivered by our Canadian industry partners.
“This is a very important day for the Royal Canadian Air Force and for Boeing,” said Charles “Duff” Sullivan, managing director, Boeing Canada. “The P-8 offers unmatched capabilities and is the most affordable solution for acquisition and life-cycle sustainment costs. There’s no doubt the P-8 will protect Canada’s oceans and its borders for future generations.”
“The P-8 will bolster Canada’s defense capability and readiness, and we look forward to delivering this capability to the Royal Canadian Air Force,” said Heidi Grant, president, Business Development for Boeing Defense, Space & Security. “Together with our Canadian partners, we will deliver a strong industrial and technological benefit package that guarantees continued prosperity to Canada’s aerospace and defense industry.”
The P-8 acquisition will generate benefits of nearly 3,000 jobs and $358 million annually in economic output to Canada, according to a 2023 independent study by Ottawa-based Doyletech Corporation. Team Poseidon forms the cornerstone of Boeing’s P-8 Canadian industry partnership, consisting of CAE, GE Aviation Canada, IMP Aerospace & Defence, KF Aerospace, Honeywell Aerospace Canada, Raytheon Canada, and StandardAero. The team builds on the existing 81 Canadian suppliers to the P-8 platform and to more than 550 Boeing suppliers across all provinces contributing to the company’s annual ~CAD $4 billion in economic benefit to Canada, supporting more than 14,000 Canadian jobs.
The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is an American maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, and derived from the civilian Boeing 737-800. It was developed for the U.S. Navy. The P-8 operates in anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASUW), and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) 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 the Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The P-8 is operated by the United States Navy, the Indian Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It has also been ordered by the Republic of Korea Navy, and the German Navy.
