On Tuesday, January 20, 2026, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) published the U.S. Department of State’s approval of a potential sale to the Republic of Singapore of a package including Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft along with Mark 54 MAKO lightweight torpedoes, with a maximum value of 2.316 billion USD.
Photo: Mass Communication Speciallist 2nd Class Jacquelin Frost, US Navy
According to the published information, the government in Singapore requested the option to acquire four P-8A Poseidon aircraft, seven AN/AAQ-24(V)N LAIRCM infrared countermeasures systems with seven Guardian Laser Transmitter Assemblies (GLTA) featuring SAASM modules, and eight Mk 54 Mod 0 torpedoes.
In addition, the package includes the following non-MDE items: additional missile warning sensors for the AN/AAQ-24(V)N; AN/AQQ-2(V) acoustic systems; AN/APY-10 radar systems (with GPS); ALQ-213 electronic warfare management systems; KIV-78 cryptographic applications; AN/APX-123A identification friend-or-foe (IFF) transponders; AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispensing System (CMDS) programmers; AN/PYQ-10 cryptographic modules; aircraft spare parts; spare CFM International CFM56-7B27A dual-spool turbofan engines; support equipment; training devices; engineering support; training; classified and unclassified publications; classified and unclassified software; mission systems and other government-furnished equipment; classified and unclassified spare parts for combat and training torpedoes; torpedo support equipment, including tools; classified software for test equipment; torpedo shipping containers; Recoverable Exercise Torpedoes (REXTORP); aircraft torpedo release accessories; support covering facility preparation and torpedo test equipment support; classified and unclassified torpedo publications; other technical assistance, including technical support, technical program management, infrastructure support, maintenance of test equipment, assistance with test firings, and contract management; torpedo training in a designated country; and other related logistics and program support elements.
The aircraft will be supplied by Boeing, while the torpedoes are to come from U.S. Navy stocks.
It should be recalled that plans to acquire maritime patrol aircraft were signaled by Singaporean authorities on March 3, 2025, and the decision to select the P-8A Poseidon was announced on September 10 during a meeting between Singapore’s Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. The new aircraft will replace five Fokker 50 turboprop maritime patrol aircraft that have been in service since 1993.
Boeing has received orders for approximately 200 aircraft of this type, delivered not only to the U.S. Navy (139 aircraft) and Norway, but also to Australia (12), India (the modified P-8I Neptune; 12 delivered plus 6 on order), the United Kingdom (as the Poseidon MRA Mk1; 9 aircraft, with a potential increase under consideration), New Zealand (4), South Korea (6 delivered, with plans to acquire an additional 6 ASW aircraft), and Germany (1 of 8 delivered, with the possible purchase of 4 more under consideration). The next users will be Canada (16) and Denmark (3). Interest in purchasing the aircraft was also expressed some time ago by Saudi Arabia and, in recent months, by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Singapore intends to arm its Poseidon aircraft with the current generation of Mark 54 torpedoes supplied by RTX. The Mark 54 MAKO entered service with the U.S. Navy in 2004 as successors to the Mk 46 and Mk 50 torpedoes. They have a diameter of 324 mm, a mass of 276 kg (including a 43.9 kg PBXN-103 warhead), and a length of 2.72 m. The torpedoes have also been purchased by Australia, Brazil, India, Canada, Mexico, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and most recently Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Norway. Meanwhile, work has begun in the United States on their successors, designated AWLT.