A Boeing P-8 Poseidon of the US Navy. Although Boeing's discussions with Brazil have not reached the stage of determining a local configuration, Flood said the company encourages a common configuration across international fleets. (US Navy)
Boeing anticipates a requirement for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft from Brazil, for which it is pitching the P-8.
“We see an enormous opportunity for P-8s,” Tim Flood, the company's vice-president of international business development for Europe and the Americas, told Janes at the FIDAE air show in Santiago, Chile, on 9 April. “That is really a strong opportunity for us. And we've been in conversations with the Brazilian Air Force. They're currently in a study phase, determining what their replacement process would look like.
“[The Brazilian government must] determine when they want to go through their procurement process and how long they want to operate their P-3s for before they want to retire them,” Flood added. “We are building P-8s today, we're not going to be building them forever. We have stressed to the Brazilians that there is a finite period with our production line. We'd like to see some indications in the next year or so if there's a strong interest.”
Flood said he anticipates a potential P-8 order for up to six aircraft. Brazil currently operates nine Lockheed P-3s in the ASW role, according to Janes World Air Forces , upgraded to extend their service lives through 2030. The country also operates eight P-95s, the local designation for ASW-equipped Embraer EMB-111s.
Boeing has not yet held discussions about unique Brazilian configurations, said Flood, adding that the company encourages a common configuration across fleets to keep costs down.
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