The German navy can’t get enough P-8 patrol aircraft

FARNBOROUGH, England—The German navy is buying eight submarine-hunting P-8A aircraft, but it would welcome more, said the nation’s head of naval air warfare. 

“No, eight is not enough. Give me 10, and I will say I need more. And give me 12, I will say give me more,” Capt. Broder Nielsen, the commanding officer of Germany’s naval air command told reporters Wednesday at the Farnborough International Airshow. 

NATO countries are working to bolster their anti-submarine capabilities to protect against Russian activity in the region, including attacks on undersea cables. Earlier this month, Denmark agreed to buy two Boeing P-8A Poseidon aircraft and the UK inked a sustainment deal for their aircraft.

“The demand for this aircraft is so huge. And to cover these huge areas there, you have to build up a real significant fleet,” which is possible when all the P-8As that are operated across Europe and the North Atlantic are combined, Nielsen said. 

It’s becoming increasingly important to “get a clear picture of what is going up in the High North…the threat is there.”

Germany is drastically boosting its defense spending—which could soon make up a third of federal spending—to hit NATO’s 5 percent of gross domestic product target. The country recently canceled its much delayed, multibillion-dollar F126 frigate program, a platform designed for anti-submarine warfare, in favor of a smaller more commercially ready design. 

The German navy is already planning to pair the P-8s with General Atomic’s MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones. But additional unmanned tech—like air-launched effects, which can launch drones from a missile-like tube—isn’t a primary consideration yet as it’s receiving the first few aircraft. 

Nielsen said the need for kinetic effects take priority. 

“We are in the very early stage of introducing our aircraft. So step by step, I would say. But what is even more important is our capability to launch kinetic effects,” he said. “It is of high importance that we will receive the torpedoes and also deep precision strike” capabilities. 

Anti-ship weapons for the German P-8As are still being considered. 

“The German navy lost the ability to fight against surface warships. That was 25 years ago when we lost our [Panavia] Tornadoes and gave it to the [German air force], unfortunately. And ever since, we do not have any missiles in stock anymore against surface ships. So we need long-range surface missiles, and the [Kongsberg] joint strike missile is a valid option.”