Navy to stop buying P-8s 18 short of requirement to 'free up time, money'

The Navy is halting procurement of its P-8 maritime patrol aircraft 18 planes short of the "warfighting requirement," citing its efforts to "free up time, money and manpower," according to a service spokesman.

The service's fiscal year 2021 budget justification documents show FY-20 was the last year the service plans to buy P-8s. The documents also reveal that in April 2018 a requirements and resources review board set the P-8A inventory at 138 aircraft. The additional planes above the 120 aircraft program of record would have included recapitalizing two reserve units.

"As part of the annual planning, programming, budgeting & execution (PPBE) process the Navy continually reassess programs as part of the balancing of overall Navy fiscal and warfighting capability priorities," Navy spokesman Lt. Tim Pietrack told Inside Defense yesterday.

Asked about the savings achieved by not procuring the planes, Pietrack said, "There was no savings or investment achieved by not purchasing additional P-8As. Aircraft not procured represent an unquantifiable cost avoidance."