The six-aircraft plan had previously received U.S. clearance on April 30, 2021, at an estimated cost of $2.42 billion for aircraft and associated equipment, with the number reduced from ten due to budget constraints. The associated package included at the time eight MIDS-JTRS 5 units, forty-two AN/AAR-54 missile warning sensors, and fourteen LN-251 Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation Systems.

By 2025, supply chain pressures had increased projected costs for six aircraft by up to 50 percent, with estimates ranging from $3 billion to potentially $4 billion depending on configuration and support. The Acceptance of Necessity for the current proposal was granted on February 12, 2025, and the February 2026 clearance marks the transition from administrative approval to final financial negotiation. The acquisition will be executed under the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, which removes offset obligations in inter-governmental agreements and does not mandate technology transfer or co-production arrangements, limiting industrial return requirements but accelerating procedural approval.

India currently operates 12 P-8I Neptune maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft acquired in two batches, eight ordered in January 2009 under a $2.1 billion agreement and four ordered in July 2016 for $1.1 billion under an option clause. The first P-8I Neptune was inducted on May 15, 2013, at INS Rajali in Tamil Nadu, replacing the aging Tu-142M fleet.