The US State Department has approved the Canadian government’s request for the purchase of up to 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance and response aircraft.
The US Defense Security and Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced the approval on 27 June under a potential deal valued at up to US$5.9 billion to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s ageing Lockheed CP-140 Aurora fleet.
“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the military capability of Canada, a NATO ally that is an important force for ensuring political stability and economic progress, and a contributor to military, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations around the world,” the DSCA notification stated.
“This proposed sale will increase Canadian maritime forces’ interoperability with the United States and other allied forces, as well as their ability to contribute to missions of mutual interest. This will significantly improve network-centric warfare capability for the US forces operating globally alongside Canada.”
If the deal is concluded, Canada will become the 10th customer for the P-8 and the last of the ‘Five Eyes’ nations to select the P-8A, behind the US, Australia, the UK and New Zealand. The DSCA notification did not specify a timeline for the potential acquisition, but Ottawa has previously announced that its CP-140 fleet will be withdrawn from service in 2030.
This latest step in the acquisition process comes as a further blow to Bombardier, which had hope to overturn the Canadian government’s decision, in favour of a solution based upon its Global 5000 platform.
Canada’s intention to purchase the P-8A was made public in March, following a Request For Information (RFI) to industry in February 2022 for a CP-140 replacement under the RCAF’s Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA) program.
“Following engagements with industry and Canada’s closest allies, the government has determined that the P-8A Poseidon is the only currently available aircraft that meets all the CMMA operational requirements, namely anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and C4ISR,” the Canadian government stated in March.
“This platform is a proven capability that is operated by several of Canada’s defence partners, including all of its ‘Five Eyes’ allies – the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.”