Canada Acquires 16 P-8A Poseidon Aircraft for Royal Canadian Air Force

Canada has finalized a government-to-government agreement with the United States government for the acquisition of up to 16 P-8A Poseidon aircraft for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Fourteen multi-mission aircraft will be procured, with options for up to an additional two.

The P-8A will replace Canada’s current maritime patrol aircraft, the CP-140 Aurora, which has been in service for more than 40 years. As it ages, the CP-140 aircraft is becoming increasingly difficult to support, expensive to sustain, and less operationally relevant.

The P-8A is already operated by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Germany has eight units on order.

The estimated investment for this project is $10.4 billion CAD; it includes up to $5.9 billion USD for the P-8A, associated equipment, training devices and sustainment set-up. The balance will cover additional investments in simulators, infrastructure and weapons.

With this acquisition of this platform Canada hopes to defend Canadian interests in maritime approaches and the Arctic.

The first P-8A should be delivered in 2026, and with an average of one aircraft delivered per month, all of the aircraft could be delivered as early as fall 2027. We anticipate full operational capability by 2033.

Boeing plans to integrate Canadian companies into the manufacturing, development, and maintenance processes, with an expected creation of 3,000 jobs, resulting in an annual impact of $358 on the Canadian GDP.