The Lockheed P-3C Orion Marine Patrol aircraft of the German Navy will be replaced within a few years. Germany bought eight Aurion from the Netherlands in 2004, seven of which are still in operation today. The machines are now nearly forty years old and nearing the end of their useful life.
The US government (US Department of State) has officially authorized the sale of five Boeing P-8A Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft. The US Parliament has yet to approve the sale.
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By picking the US Poseidon, Germany buys a popular ‘off the shelf’ device. The U.S. Navy has already largely replaced the P-3 Orion fleet with the P-8. Norway, Great Britain, Australia, and South Korea also chose the Poseidon system. The P-8 is a modified version of the Boeing 737-800ERX. The total value of the contract for five devices and associated equipment and support is $ 1.77 billion. The Boeing aircraft is expected to replace the German Orion from 2024.
The Contenders
Other competitors for the new German maritime patrol plane are the Japanese Kawasaki P-1 and a new Airbus aircraft that will be developed based on the A320neo. Airbus hopes to sell the A320 MPA maritime patrol aircraft to Germany and France to replace the existing aircraft. The French Navy has approximately 20 Atlantique ATL2 aircraft, the first of which was delivered in 1989. Although the Germans chose “American”, Airbus is supposed to continue developing the A320 MPA.
