Boeing last week delivered the 14th P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft to the US Navy on schedule, helping expand its fleet. The Navy deployed the first P-8A squadron to Kadena, Japan in late 2013. The second squadron will deploy this summer.  

The P-8A is a revolutionary, low-cost solution and key component of the naval aviation mission. Boeing is using a first-in-industry in-line production process to build P-8A aircraft to military specifications, while leveraging the same processes and tooling that produce 38 commercial 737 aircraft per month. The result is that the Navy is receiving the maritime patrol aircraft it needs, on cost and on schedule.  

Overall, the Navy has a requirement for 117 P-8As to replace its P-3 fleet. Currently, Boeing is on contract to build 53 aircraft. The first P-8A production plane arrived at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., in March 2012.  

For more information on the P-8, click here .  

The 14th P-8A Poseidon aircraft takes off from Boeing Field in Seattle on its way to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla., where it will join its new squadron. Boeing is on contract to build 53 of the maritime patrol aircraft for the Navy. Photo by: Jim Anderson, Boeing