Boeing has won a contract valued approximately $757 million to build five P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft for Germany.

“This modification exercises an option for the production and delivery of five Lot 12 P-8A aircraft for the government of Germany,” a U.S. DoD release today said.

Work is expected to be completed in February 2025.

In July 2021, Germany signed a letter of offer and acceptance for five Boeing P-8As under the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process.

German companies that already supply parts for the P-8A include Aljo Aluminum-Bau Jonischeit GmbH and Nord-Micro GmbH. Recently, Boeing signed agreements with ESG Elektroniksystem-und Logistik-GmbH and Lufthansa Technik to collaborate in systems integration, training, support and sustainment work.

“By working with local suppliers, Boeing will provide support, training and maintenance solutions that will bring the highest operational availability to fulfill the German Navy’s missions.”

Tom has spent the last 13 years working in the defence industry, specifically military and commercial shipbuilding. His work has taken him around Europe and the Far East, he is currently based in Scotland.
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Reaper
Reaper
2 years ago

Would be Great if Lossiemouth could be a Nato p8 base with multiple Nations having p8s stationed there full tim.

Steve M
Steve M
2 years ago
Reply to  Reaper

Even better if Voyagers had booms so they could patrol further / longer through Baltic etc otherwise usuing too much of avail flight time just getting to patrol area rather than searching.

Reaper
Reaper
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve M

Yeah it’s a joke we don’t have booms, who the hell made that decision, We should at least get 5 converted. It seriously hampers our capability not having booms,.

I wonder how much we use the yank tankers with booms based in the UK! Or can we use them with the voyager contract…

Daniele Mandelli
Daniele Mandelli
2 years ago
Reply to  Reaper

RAF RC135 is topped up upon take off by USAF tankers from Mildenhall every time it sorties on an operational mission, often over the Baltic.

Jason M Holmes
Jason M Holmes
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve M

When I was stationed at RAF Kinloss, the Nimrods rarely used in-flight refuelling for normal maritime patrol of the North Atlantic as its endurance was very good, especially on 2 engines as they often did. I guess this is the rationale for not getting our Voyagers booms for the P-8’s, but could reduce flexibility in other theatres of operation, not that I’d expect any of the 9 we have bought to be available for ‘overseas’ ops.

Supportive Bloke
Supportive Bloke
2 years ago
Reply to  Reaper

There does seem to be a decent sized P8 fleet building up across NATO.

I just hope the German ones have some kind of real world operational availability.

Chris
Chris
2 years ago

After their recent election, I’ll be surprised if they get delivered.

James
James
2 years ago
Reply to  Chris

The overall government will take a while to form, depending on how it ends up will shape defence but as of yet no one really knows.

expat
expat
2 years ago
Reply to  James

I’m not overly optimistic, a coalition with FDP will more likely not be pro defence spending, anti drone and anti nuclear. But tough on China. They will be sending strongly worded letters, China must be ptsl

https://rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/germanys-greens-go-government-winds-change-germanys-foreign-and-security-policy

Last edited 2 years ago by expat
Reaper
Reaper
2 years ago
Reply to  Chris

Germany seems to be spending far more on Defence these days. They even have a bigger Army than The UK now but that’s not hard to beat I supose.

expat
expat
2 years ago
Reply to  Reaper

Best wait to see what happens given their election result

John Stevens
John Stevens
2 years ago
Reply to  Reaper

Hi Reaper.. I think the UK still has a larger Army than Germany, could be wrong though. UK has over 81,000 trained (77,000) trade trained Army. Plus of course the Royal Marines has around 6,600 trained personnel. The Army reserve numbers some 26,000 trained personnel.

Have a good day !!!

John Stevens
John Stevens
2 years ago
Reply to  John Stevens

Just to add: When it comes to total armed forces personnel. Yup, numbers are a lot closer now. Think we have around 198,000 armed forces personnel plus somewhere around 57,000 civilians (MOD).

Looks like Germany has 184,000 armed forces personnel and some 80,000 civilians also 30,000 reserves. Plans also envisage a further increase with personnel numbers up to teh year 2025.

John Stevens
John Stevens
2 years ago
Reply to  John Stevens

*the

Reaper
Reaper
2 years ago

Yeah, Lossiemouth will be a specialist Boeing P8 repair and service site so maybe we will get work from other European country’s like Norway, Germany and even USA.

John Clark
John Clark
2 years ago

I can answer that one, nope, no chance, never operationally deployed to a war zone ever, under the Official German ‘ride the coat tails and cheer from the sidelines’ policy.

Patrol the Baltic and occasionally the Mediterranean, if really pushed…..

Steve P
Steve P
2 years ago
Reply to  John Clark

The med? Do these aircraft drop towels on sunbeds? 🙂

John Clark
John Clark
2 years ago
Reply to  Steve P

😂😂 Excellent !!

Bluemoonday
Bluemoonday
2 years ago
Reply to  John Clark

No doubt, if the Germans were to spend huge amounts on their military, you lot would bang on about them becoming a threat to regional security.
The thing to consider is, what have we achieved by spending so much more than the Germans post Cold War? Has it all been worth it, given the huge cost to so many British families, not to mention the financial value to the public?

John Clark
John Clark
2 years ago
Reply to  Bluemoonday

Well someone has to step up and it sure as hell isn’t the Germans….. The reality is UK defence spending has been rather low since the cold war ended, it’s only just exceeded 2% GDP. Does it bring financial value to the public …. It’s the first responsibility of any government to protect its people, the UK also has dependencies to protect and we are members of various alliances that we are honour and duty bound to contribute defence assets too. As a trading nation, with important links world wide, we better be ready to protect our interests… So yes,… Read more »

Bluemoonday
Bluemoonday
2 years ago
Reply to  John Clark

In theory, I do not disagree with a lot of what you say. My issue is that the evidence does not support the case. If stepping up is protecting your interest and providing some type of deterrence, then what happened in the Crimea? The Balkans, or even Syria? War crimes were committed right under our noses and in the Crimea, one of the supposed main threats to British and Western stability was allowed to carry out the exact activity we are meant to be prepared to counter? How is the Crimea any different to Taiwan, where we seemed determined to… Read more »

Andy P
Andy P
2 years ago

Yeah, its probably good that more countries are operating the same gear. We’re building up a fair fleet in this corner of NATO as you say.

Jason M Holmes
Jason M Holmes
2 years ago
Reply to  Reaper

I don’t think there will be room, especially after our own 9 x P-8’s and the Wedgetails arrive, forward thinking would have reused Kinloss for this.

Quentin D63
Quentin D63
2 years ago
Reply to  Jason M Holmes

Yes a lot of key air assets under one hangar roof in the one place. Wouldn’t it be good to de-risk this and spread the fleet over two bases?

julian1
julian1
2 years ago
Reply to  Reaper

Would still prefer Kinloss myself as a NATO P8 base. How many more aircraft can Lossie hold? The idea of inter-operability and shared workload between UK, Norway and Germany with P8 for the Baltic, North Sea, Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic is attractive though though still need more aircraft

James
James
2 years ago

Germany will likely have a left wing government between social democrats and greens just like the one they had when they refused to join the Iraq war. So it’s foreign policy and military expenditure will be far more cautious than it is now. It will have a foreign policy centered around the EU than it currently has. The social democrats are far more pro EU than Merkel

expat
expat
2 years ago
Reply to  James

Yeah, the Greens don’t support armed drones, nuclear sharing or the 2% GDP on defence. FDP will likely give on most of these. Negative side for UK the new government could block components that are required for UK to sell overseas 🙁

I don’t see the EU benefiting, German defence spending will shrink and projects like FCAS and a European MALE are certainly at risk.

farouk
farouk
2 years ago
Reply to  expat

I think the EU had a very rude awakening when the US pulled out of Afghan, which was further exacerbated by how Russia decided to cut the gas flow into the EU from 80 million cubic metres a day (Dec 2019) to 49 Million cubic metres a day in Aug 2021 and to 20 Million Cubic metres a day after Merkel told Putin on the 23rd Of August that if he uses gas as a weapon the EU would hit Moscow with sanctions. In the Med, the EU has twiddled its thumbs as Turkey has used its Navy to drill… Read more »

Mark B
Mark B
2 years ago
Reply to  James

Not a year goes past without a Government change within the EU pulling or pushing views one way or another. I’m not sure that that bodes well for consensus especially on expensive military projects although they might get consensus on environmental projects. I would have thought that when times are bad (which seems likely for many parts of the world) it is only natural for populations to favour strong national Governement doing what they want rather than federal arrangements. Unless relations with Russia warm a little are not central and eastern countries not going to get a little nervous?