Boeing's P-8 submarine hunter aircraft has reached an important milestone. The 100th P-8 is about to roll off the assembly line in Renton.
It’s a beefed-up U.S. Navy version of the popular 737, made of, in some cases, the same parts as the aircraft you flew on your spring break vacation.
But the P-8 is designed to hunt submarines, gather intelligence, and conduct surveillance. It can even carry torpedoes. The P8 also helped search for the Malaysia Airlines 777 which went missing in 2014.
Most of the P-8’s assembled in Renton are destined for the U.S. Navy, though allies also want them in their fleets.
Australia and India recently bought P-8s. The United Kingdom and Norway are in the process of acquiring them. Boeing says it hopes to keep cranking out the sophisticated jets as long as there is continued interest.
The P-8 is being built alongside passenger 737s, which Boeing is assembling at a frenzied rate; 47 a month. They're getting ready to increase that to 52 a month.
“It's a significant milestone,” said Carl Lang, Boeing’s deputy program manager for the 737-800 and P-8. “It's the highest production rate ever in history for a commercial jet of this scale.”
