CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -Indian Navy became the first international customer for the P-8 aircraft with the conclusion of the nearly US 2.1 billion dollars contract on January 1, 2009, for a total of eight aircraft.

Detailed explanation-2: -The Indian Navy has received the 12th anti-submarine warfare aircraft P-8I from the US-based aerospace company Boeing. This is the fourth of four additional aircraft, for which the contract was signed in 2016. The Ministry of Defence had signed a contract for eight P-8I aircraft in 2009.

Detailed explanation-3: -Navy gets full complement of P-8I maritime aircraft “Boeing delivered the 12th P-8I maritime patrol aircraft to India on February 23, ” a company statement said. “The P-8I is an integral part of the Indian Navy’s fleet and has surpassed 35, 000 flight hours since it was inducted in 2013.”

Detailed explanation-4: -The country’s meteorological department follows the international standard of four seasons with some local adjustments: winter (December to February), summer (March to May), monsoon (rainy) season (June to September), and a post-monsoon period (October and November).

Detailed explanation-5: -The P-8I aircraft is a variant of the P-8A Poseidon aircraft that Boeing developed as a replacement for the US Navy’s ageing P-3 fleet. In May 2021, the US State Department approved the proposed sale of six P-8I patrol aircraft and related equipment, a deal estimated to cost 2.42 billion dollars.