Boeing partners AI Engineering Services to support Navy's P-8I fleet

US aerospace giant Boeing on Tuesday announced partnership with India’s AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) to develop local maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities for the Indian Navy’s fleet of 12 P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft.

The partnership will provide in-country overhaul services of critical components for the fleet of P-81 Poseidon Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare (LRMR ASW) aircraft. As part of the partnership, the first landing gear overhaul of a P-8I aircraft was recently completed at INS Rajali.

“This is a first in India and reflects the growth in India’s indigenous capabilities for undertaking complex MRO services,” Boeing announced.

These aircraft are integral to the Indian Navy’s maritime surveillance missions to pick up enemy submarines in the Indian Ocean.

Sharad Agarwal, AIESL chief said, “We are proud to partner with Boeing, and successfully completing the landing gear overhaul of the P-8I aircraft, a first in India. It is a significant step towards India's aspirations to become the regional hub for MRO services.”

“The Boeing India – AIESL partnership is the latest development under the Boeing India Repair Development and Sustainment (BIRDS) hub programme,” Boeing India said on Tuesday.

BIRDS involves a local network of suppliers working to build a robust MRO ecosystem for defence and commercial aircraft.

“An important aspect of the hub is training programmes to increase skilled manpower by developing sub-tier suppliers and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to build top-tier MRO capabilities in India,” Boeing said.

Boeing’s supply chain in India involves more than 300 local companies that feed into the manufacturing of fuselages for Apache helicopters and vertical fin structures for 737 airplanes. Annual sourcing from India stands at over $1 billion.

Boeing currently employs over 6,000 people in India, with 13,000 more working with its supply chain partners.

Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, has faced severe pressure after the grounding of its workhorse 737 MAX passenger airliners between March 2019 and December 2020.

The entire 737 MAX fleet was grounded after two very similar air crashes in which over 300 people were killed. These included Lion Air Flight 610 in October 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in March 2019.