Singapore Borong Four Patrol Planes And Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime Reconnaissance

Patrol and maritime aircraft P-8A Poseidon. (Wikimedia Commons/US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Rashan Jeffery)

JAKARTA - Singapore's Ministry of Defense last month announced plans to acquire four intai aircraft and Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrols.

This order is the first phase of a refresher of the maritime security capabilities of the Singapore Armed Forces, to replace the existing Fokker 50 aircraft, which have been operating since 1993, according to the statement.

The value of the agreement was not disclosed, but Boeing confirmed Singapore had chosen P-8A for its troops.

The announcement of the planned purchase of the aircraft was made after a meeting between Singapore's Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing and United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon on September 10, as reported by the Asian Military Review.

Earlier, Singapore in March announced it was considering P-8A, along with Airbus C-295, as the next maritime patrol aircraft, quoted from Breaking Defense.

Singapore has started a massive engineering of its maritime capabilities, including plans to add multi-role warships and offshore patrol boats, upgrades to Formidable class frigates, addition of two submarines, as well as integration of various unmanned surface ships.

The P-8A is equipped with advanced sensor features, wider selection of weapons and better durability. The aircraft also has anti-submarine warfare capabilities (ASW), as well as enabling the implementation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.

The P-8A can also transit faster into operational areas and stay at the station for a longer time after arriving there. In addition, its performance at higher altitude allows better sensor range, which benefits from increased sightlines for wider maritime scrutiny.