U.S. Investment Immigration focuses on life in the United States: On the 21st, the Australian government announced that it will purchase 8 P-8A "Poseidon" maritime patrol aircraft from Boeing in the United States to replace the AP-3C "Orion" aircraft currently in service with the Royal Australian Air Force. This decision has sparked speculation from the outside world.
The decision to purchase 8 P-8A "Poseidon" aircraft was jointly announced by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Defense Minister David Johnston at a press conference held in the capital, Canberra, on the 21st. They issued a joint statement saying that the Australian government has approved the plan to purchase 8 "Poseidon" maritime patrol aircraft, which will replace the AP-3C "Orion" aircraft that has been in service with the Royal Australian Air Force for about 40 years. The total value of the purchase contract is approximately 4 billion Australian dollars, equivalent to about 3.6 billion U.S. dollars. The first P-3 aircraft will be equipped for the Air Force in 2017, and all 8 aircraft will be fully equipped by 2021. The joint statement also mentioned that the Australian government has approved an option to purchase an additional 4 P-3 aircraft, depending on the specifics of the Defense White Paper.
The P-8 "Poseidon" maritime patrol aircraft is a maritime patrol aircraft designed and produced by Boeing in the United States, primarily used for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, and anti-submarine warfare. Since "Poseidon" is the name of the sea god in Greek mythology, this aircraft is also referred to as the "Sea God" aircraft domestically.
According to information released on the Australian Department of Defense website, Australia will purchase the P-8A model, which is a military variant developed from the civilian Boeing 737-800. The P-8A can carry 34 tons of fuel, with a range of 4,000 nautical miles; it can also conduct aerial refueling, allowing it to fly continuously for 20 hours.
The P-8A has 11 weapon mounting points, with 5 in the weapons bay, 4 under the wings, and 2 under the fuselage, capable of carrying 10 tons of weapons and possessing operational flight capabilities, including low-altitude flight. It has strong communication capabilities, equipped with 10 radio stations and other information communication functions. It is also equipped with multi-mission equipment, including multi-mode radar, high-definition electro-optical cameras, and sound systems, among others.
From publicly available information, Australia invested in the P-8 aircraft development project several years ago, and discussions about purchasing this aircraft have been ongoing for some time. The Australian government's statement indicated that the 8 P-8A aircraft planned for purchase will replace the AP-3C "Orion" aircraft, which is scheduled to be retired from the Australian Air Force in 2019. The statement noted that the P-8A aircraft will perform maritime patrol, search and rescue, anti-submarine, and strike missions.
However, some media outlets, including Reuters and the influential Australian newspaper The Australian, have linked the timing of the Australian government's announcement of the aircraft purchase to the two-ocean military exercises conducted by the Chinese South Sea Fleet during this year's Spring Festival. Reuters believes that Australia's purchase of the P-8 aircraft aims to "strengthen its control capabilities over its jurisdictional waters," including offshore oil and gas resources as well as energy and raw material transport routes.