The United States (US) Navy has said that it will spend $1.5 million to salvage the crashed P-8A Poseidon in Hawaii.
According to the Associated Press, Navy spokesman Mohammad Issa said they are having to salvage the aircraft with particular care due to the plane resting on a coral reef.
The spokesperson also confirmed December 2, 2023, that the salvage effort is being carried out in a way that the P-8A Poseidon can be used again in the future.
The mission to rescue the aircraft has so far cost the US Navy $200,000 since the plane crashed on November 20, 2023.
The maritime patrol aircraft crashed into Kaneohe Bay in Oahu after it overshot the runway at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
There were nine people onboard, who all managed to swim to shore. No one was reported to be injured or harmed.
On November 29, 2023, the Navy released underwater footage of the aircraft sitting with its wheels resting on the reef.
The Navy hopes to use inflatable cylinders to float the plane up off the coral and then move it away.
The P-8A Poseidon is manufactured by Boeing and is a multi-mission maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft used to conduct long-range maritime and littoral operations, search and rescue missions.
It has intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare capabilities.
