Germany Mulls Expanding Order For Submarine-Hunting Planes

By Michael Nienaber

Nov 7, 2025 (Bloomberg) –Germany may buy four additional Boeing Co. P-8A Poseidon submarine-hunting planes, according to people familiar with the matter, as the first of eight already purchased landed in Berlin amid growing security threats from Russia.

If approved, the request from the Luftwaffe would make Germany one of the world’s largest operators of the plane outside the US. The people declined to be named because the matter is sensitive.

After the twin-engine jet touched down on Friday on the military side of Berlin’s airport, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius inspected the aircraft and discussed its capabilities with the crew. He told reporters “at least” seven more Poseidons would follow.

He said the new aircraft would be stationed at the Nordholz airbase in northern Germany, and operate from NATO bases in Great Britain, Norway and Iceland as it patrols the Baltic Sea, North Sea and northern Atlantic.

Germany will pay more than €3 billion ($3.47 billion) for the eight P-8As on order.

The maritime patrol and surveillance aircraft is used by the US Navy and other members of the NATO military alliance. It is a militarized version of the Boeing 737 aircraft and is meant to replace Germany’s aging fleet of P-3 Orion planes.

The aircraft is capable of detecting and hunting submarines with the help of air-dropped sonar buoys. The German version will be equipped with torpedoes, naval mines and anti-ship missiles.  

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s ruling coalition has effectively removed borrowing constraints for defense spending, and the conservative leader has pledged to transform the Bundeswehr into Europe’s largest conventional army to deal with the increasing threats from Russia.

© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

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