Watch: Rajnath Singh flies sortie in Indian Navy's P-8I anti-submarine aircraft

Rajnath Singh flew the sortie on Tuesday hours after he launched two frontline warships of the Indian Navy at the Mazagon Docks Limited in Mumbai.

Published on: May 18, 2022, 19:59:37 IST

By HT News Desk | Written by Aniruddha Dhar, New Delhi

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Defence minister Rajnath Singh flew a sortie in the Indian Navy's P-8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft during his visit to Mumbai.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh rides P8I long range maritime reconnaissance anti-submarine warfare aircraft of the Indian Navy during his visit to Mumbai.  (PTI)

“Witnessed Naval Air Ops onboard the P8I, ably conducted by young and dynamic men & women. Having experienced Long Range Maritime Surveillance & ASW capabilities firsthand, I am certain that our maritime interests are in safe hands of a Combat Ready, Credible & Cohesive,” Singh tweeted on Wednesday along with a video of his sortie.

The defence minister flew the sortie on Tuesday hours after he launched two frontline warships of the Indian Navy at the Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.

"Defence Minister Singh, during his visit to Mumbai, undertook a sortie on the Indian Navy P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft," navy spokesperson commander Vivek Madhwal said.

During the mission, long-range surveillance, electronic warfare, imagery intelligence, ASW missions and Search & Rescue capabilities employing the state-of-the-art mission suite and sensors were demonstrated.

What is P-8I aircraft?

The P-8I aircraft, produced by the US aerospace major Boeing, with its superior maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities and operational readiness has proven to be an important asset to the Indian Navy.

The navy was the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft. The aircraft is also operated by the US Navy, the Royal Australian Air Force, the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and the Royal Norwegian Air Force.

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