The U.S. State Department approved a proposed foreign military sale (FMS) of nine Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, equipment, training and support to the UK for an estimated cost of $3.2 billion. The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the approval on March 25.

With the notification, the governments can now conclude the FMS, assuming Congress does not object. The British Royal Air Force will be the fourth service to operate the Boeing 737-800ERX military derivative after the U.S. Navy, the Indian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.

The UK Ministry of Defence announced its plan to acquire nine P-8s in November, following a strategic review that restored the maritime patrol requirement it eliminated in a 2010 review with the cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 program. The ministry selected the Poseidon without competing the requirement.

Following cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 program, British RAF crews trained on the P-8 under a skills retention effort known as Project Seedcorn, flying with U.S. Navy squadrons at Naval Air Stations Jacksonville, Fla., and Patuxent River, Md. The UK government plans to base British Poseidons at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland.

In January, the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (Navair) awarded Boeing a $2.4 billion contract modification to deliver 20 Lot 3 full-rate production P-8s, including 16 to the U.S. Navy and four to the Australia. Navair reported a U.S. Navy inventory of 31 Poseidons as of October; the service has a requirement for 117 jets. The Australian government has ordered eight Poseidons, with options for another four. India has received eight P-8I versions of the anti-sub warfare and surveillance aircraft.