Australia commits to Poseidon development

The Australian government formally allocated nearly $81 million toward development of Boeing's P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft, the replacement for the country's ageing AP-3C Orion planes.

Minister for Defense Stephen Smith and Minister for Defense Materiel Jason Clare signed the Increment 3 Project Arrangement with the U.S. Navy, Australia's Department of Defense said.

The deal "formalizes Australia's participation in the development of the Increment 3 P-8A Aircraft and marks Australia's continued commitment to the $5 billion project to acquire a new manned maritime patrol aircraft," a defense department statement said.

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