DUBAI 09: Saudi visit could herald sales of P-8 Poseidon aircraft

The P-8 is a militarised version of the Boeing Business Jet – a 737-800 with 737-900-based wings. It has a strengthened fuselage and 767-400ER-style raked wingtips, instead of the blended winglets available on 737NG variants. It also includes six additional body fuel tanks manufactured by Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge, UK with three in the forward cargo compartment and three in the rear, for extended range. 

The plans for the P-8, which releases sonar buoys to identify submarines and destroys them by dropping torpedoes, are part of a wider naval fleet modernisation programme reportedly worth as much as $20bn.
 

According to the consulting firm Frost and Sullivan,  the kingdom’s defence spending reached  $36bn by the end of last year, and it is continuing to spearhead the defence modernization of the Gulf countries.

As well as the P-8 it is understood the Saudis will be looking at the H-60R Seahawk multi-mission helicopter built by Sikorsky Aircraft, who will be exhibiting at the Dubai show for the first time; and at unmanned Fire Scout helicopters built by Northrop Grumman.

Northrop Grumman works alongside Raytheon  in supplying advanced radar and sensing equipment  for the $220 million P8 aircraft. Both Northrop and Raytheon are taking major space at the Dubai show this year,