[SINGAPORE] The star attraction at Asia's biggest arms and aerospace bazaar is an outwardly unassuming aircraft parked in a distant corner of the tarmac, past the sleek jet fighters and menacing attack helicopters.

An operational P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft is on public display for the first time, with its manufacturer, Boeing, hoping for rich sales in a region that has two of the world's most tense maritime disputes.

Many of the uniformed officers from Asia's militaries who are visiting the Singapore Airshow make a beeline for the aircraft.