The Norwegian Government decided November 25 to procure five P-8A Poseidon for delivery in 2021 to 2022. The decision taken in the government has been proposed to the Parliament, which is expected to reach a resolution regarding the procurement mid-December.

The Minister of Defence, Ine Eriksen Søreide, said: “The new maritime patrol aircraft will be a formidable tool for surveillance of our vast maritime areas in the north. Norway has an important task in maintaining the situational awareness in national and adjacent waters, both on and below the surface, on behalf of the alliance. The maritime domain is becoming more important as we speak.”

Norwegian maritime areas are vast, and about seven times its land mass. These areas are now regarded with increasingly strategic importance in NATO, and this trend is expected to continue.

The five P-8A Poseidon will replace the six ageing P-3 Orions, and three DA-20 Jet Falcons, and will again provide a giant technological leap in the domain of maritime surveillance. The maritime patrol aircraft will continue the provision of data for analysis and decision makers, both in government and in the military commands, into the future.