Lockheed P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or "MAD Boom", used for the magnetic detection of submarines. Over the years, the aircraft saw numerous design advancements, most notably to its electronics packages. The P-3 Orion is still in use by numerous navies and air forces around the world, primarily for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare. A total of 734 P-3s have been built, and by 2012, it will join the handful of military aircraft such as the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress which have served 50 years of continuous use with its original primary customer, in this case, the United States Navy.
Development
In August 1957, the US Navy called for replacement proposals for the aging twin piston engined Lockheed P2V Neptune (later redesignated P-2) and Martin P5M Marlin (later redesignated P-5) with a more advanced aircraft to conduct maritime patrol and antisubmarine warfare. Modifying an existing aircraft was expected to save on cost and allow rapid introduction into the fleet. Lockheed suggested a military version of their L-188 Electra, which was still in development and had yet to fly. In April 1958 Lockheed won the competition and was awarded an initial research and development contract in May.
The prototype YP3V-1/YP-3A BuNo 148276 was in fact modified from the third Electra airframe c/n 1003.The first flight of the aircraft's aerodynamic prototype, originally designated YP3V-1, was on 19 August 1958. While based on the same design philosophy as the Lockheed L-188 Electra, the aircraft was structurally different. The aircraft had 7 meters (23 ft) less fuselage forward of the wings with an opening bomb bay, as well as a more pointed nose radome, distinctive tail "stinger", wing hardpoints, and other internal, external, and airframe production technique enhancements.The Orion has four Allison T56 turboprops which give it a top speed of 411 knots (761 km/h) comparable to the fastest propeller fighters, or even slow low-bypass turbofan jets such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II or the S-3 Viking. Similar aircraft include the Soviet Ilyushin Il-38 and the French Breguet Atlantique while the UK the British adapted the jet-powered de Havilland Comet into the Hawker Siddeley Nimrod.
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| P-3 Orion from Japan, Canada, Australia, Republic of Korea and the United States. |
In 1963, the U.S. Navy, Bureau of Weapons, contracted Univac Defense Systems Division of Sperry-Rand to engineer, build and test a digital computer (then in its early infancy) to interface with the many sensors and newly developing display units of the P3 Orion. Project A-NEW was the engineering system which, after several early trials, produced the engineering prototype, the CP-823/U, Univac 1830, Serial A-1, A-NEW MOD3 Computing System. The CP-823/U Engineering Prototype Computer was delivered to the Naval Air Development Center (NADC) at Johnsville, Pa in 1965. It was the testbed computer unit that led to the production computer for the P-3C Orion.
The civilian Electra suffered mysterious crashes such as a 1960 flight when the right wing ripped away due to flutter caused by vibrations in the engine mounts. Sales of airliners were limited as the technical fix did not completely erase the "jinxed" reputation while turboprops were soon replaced by faster jets. In military missions where fuel efficiency was more important than speed, the Orion would remain in service nearly 50 years after its 1962 introduction. Although not quite matching the longevity of the still-in-production C-130 Hercules, which was the original application of the Allison T56 turboprop, 734 P-3s were produced until 1990. Lockheed Martin opened a new P-3 wing production line in 2008 as part of its Service Life Extension Program (ASLEP) for delivery in 2010. A complete ASLEP replaces the aircraft outer wings, center wing lower section and horizontal stabilizers with new-build parts
The Lockheed Electra had been created as cost-effective alternative to the Boeing 707 (first prototype flight in 1954) when turboprops are very efficient at flight speeds below 450 mph compared to early turbojets. The improved P-7 was selected over a variant of the Boeing 757, but was cancelled. The further advanced Orion 21 lost out to the Boeing P-8 Poseidon. Due to enter service in 2013, the P-8 is an evolution of designs dating back to the original 707 as the Boeing 737 airliner has grown to become a slightly larger airframe than the 707 prototype, powered by very efficient low-bypass turbofans with more power.
Design
The P-3 has an internal bomb bay under the front fuselage which can house conventional Mark 50 torpedoes or Mark 46 torpedoes and/or special (nuclear) weapons. Additional underwing stations, or pylons, can carry other armament configurations including the AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-84E SLAM, AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER, the AGM-65 Maverick, 127 millimeters (5 in) Zuni rockets, and various other sea mines, missiles, and gravity bombs. The aircraft also had the capability to carry the AGM-12 Bullpup guided missile until that weapon was withdrawn from U.S./NATO/Allied service.
Crew complement
The crew complement varies depending on the role being flown, the variant being operated, and the country that is operating the type. In US Navy service, the normal complement is 11.Data for P-3C only.
- three Naval Aviators
- Patrol Plane Commander (PPC)
- Patrol Plane 2nd Pilot (PP2P)
- Patrol Plane 3rd Pilot (PP3P)
- two Naval Flight Officers
- Patrol Plane Tactical Coordinator (PPTC or TACCO)
- Patrol Plane Navigator/Communicator (PPNC or NAVCOM) (Nav/Comm on P-3C only. P-3A & P-3B had NFO Navigator and also enlisted radio operator)
- two enlisted aircrew flight engineers (FE1 and FE2)
- three enlisted sensor operators
- Radar/MAD/AWO (SS-3)
- two Acoustic (SS-1 and SS-2)
- one enlisted in-flight technician (IFT)
- one aviation ordnanceman (ORD position no longer used on USN crews; duties assumed by IFT.)
Engine loiter shutdown
Once on station, one engine is often shut down (usually the No. 1 engine - the port outer engine) to conserve fuel and extend the time aloft and/or range when at low level. On occasion, both outboard engines can be shut down, weight, weather, and fuel permitting. Long deep-water, coastal or border patrol missions can last over 10 hours and may include extra crew. The record time aloft for a P-3 is 21.5 hours, undertaken by the Royal New Zealand Air Force's No. 5 Squadron in 1972.
Engine 1 is the primary candidate for loiter shutdown because uniquely it has no generator, and provides no electrical power. Eliminating the exhaust from engine 1 also improves visibility from the aft observer station on the port side of the aircraft.Operational history
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| P-3B of VP-6 near Hawaii |
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| US P-3C Orion of VP-8 |
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| Changing a tire on a P-3C |
More than 40 combatant and noncombatant P-3 variants have demonstrated the rugged reliability displayed by the platform flying 12-hour plus missions 200 ft (61 m) over salt water while maintaining an excellent safety record. Versions have been developed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for research and hurricane hunting/hurricane wall busting, for the U.S. Customs Service (now U.S. Customs and Border Protection) for drug interdiction and aerial surveillance mission with a rotodome adapted from the Grumman E-2 Hawkeye or an AN/APG-66 radar adapted from the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, and for NASA for research and development.
The United States Navy remains the largest P-3 operator, currently distributed between a single fleet replacement (i.e., "training) patrol squadron, 12 active duty patrol squadrons, two Navy Reserve patrol squadrons, two active duty special projects patrol squadrons and two active duty test and evaluation squadrons. Two additional active duty fleet reconnaissance squadrons operate the EP-3 Aries signals intelligence (SIGINT) variant.
Cuba
Main article: Cuban Missile Crisis
In October 1962, P-3A aircraft flew several blockade patrols in the vicinity of Cuba. Having just recently joined the operational Fleet earlier that year, this was the first employment of the P-3 in a real world "near conflict" situation.Vietnam
Main article: Operation Market Time
Beginning in 1964, forward deployed P-3 aircraft began flying a variety of missions under Operation Market Time from bases in the Philippines and Vietnam. The primary focus of these coastal patrols was to stem the supply of materials to the Viet Cong by sea, although several of these missions also became overland "feet dry" sorties. During one such mission, a small caliber artillery shell passed through a P-3 without rendering it mission incapable. During another overland mission, it is rumored, but not confirmed, that a P-3 shot down a North Vietnamese MiG with Zuni missiles.The only confirmed combat loss of a P-3 also occurred during Operation Market Time. In April 1968, a U.S. Navy P-3B of Patrol Squadron 26 (VP-26) was downed by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire in the Gulf of Thailand with the loss of the entire crew. Two months earlier, in February 1968, another one of VP-26's P-3B aircraft was operating in the same vicinity when it crashed with the loss of the entire crew. Originally attributed to an aircraft mishap at low altitude, later conjecture is that this aircraft may have also fallen victim to AAA fire from the same source as the April incident.Iraq
Main articles: Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Operation Iraqi Freedom
On 2 August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and was poised to strike Saudi Arabia. Within forty-eight hours of the initial invasion, U.S. Navy P-3C aircraft were the first American forces to arrive in the area. One was a modified platform with a prototype system known as "Outlaw Hunter." Undergoing trials in the Pacific after being developed by the Navy’s Space & Naval Warfare Systems Command, "Outlaw Hunter" was testing a specialized over-the-horizon targeting (OTH-T) system package when it responded. Within hours of the start of the coalition air campaign, "Outlaw Hunter" detected a large number of Iraqi patrol boats and naval vessels attempting to move from Basra and Umm Qasr to Iranian waters. "Outlaw Hunter" vectored in strike elements which attacked the flotilla near Bubiyan Island destroying 11 vessels and damaging scores more. During Desert Shield, a P-3 using infrared imaging detected a ship with Iraqi markings beneath freshly painted bogus Egyptian markings trying to avoid detection. Several days before the 7 January 1991 commencement of Operation Desert Storm, a P-3C equipped with an APS-137 Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) conducted coastal surveillance along Iraq and Kuwait to provide pre-strike reconnaissance on enemy military installations. A total of 55 of the 108 Iraqi vessels destroyed during the conflict were targeted by P-3C aircraft.The P-3 Orion's mission expanded in the late 1990s and early 2000s to include battlespace surveillance both at sea and over land. The long range and long loiter time of the P-3 Orion have proved to be an invaluable asset during Operation Iraqi Freedom. It can instantaneously provide information about the battlespace it can see to ground troops, particularly the U.S. Marines.
Afghanistan
Main article: War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
Although the P-3 is a Maritime Patrol Aircraft, armament and sensor upgrades in the Anti-surface Warfare Improvement Program (AIP) have made it suitable for sustained combat air support over land. Since the start of the current war in Afghanistan, U.S. Navy P-3 aircraft have been operating from Kandahar in that role.Royal Australian Air Force P-3 aircraft also operated there early in the war. As of February 2010, the Australian P-3 aircraft have been operating in the area for a continuous 7 years.Recently the United States Geological Survey used the Orion to survey parts of southern and eastern Afghanistan for lithium, copper, and other mineral deposits.
Pakistan
Pakistan had four P-3 Orions in service until 22 May 2011, when two P-3s were destroyed in an attack by Pakistan's Taliban on a naval base in Karachi by gunmen who used rocket propelled-grenades to target the P-3s in hangers..Somalia
Main article: Piracy in Somalia
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| A US Navy P-3C Orion monitoring the hijacking of MV Maersk Alabama, 2009. |
Libya
Main article: Libyan Civil War
US Navy P-3C Orions and one Canadian CP-140 Aurora, a variant of the Orion, participate in maritime surveillance missions over Libyan waters in the framework of enforcement of the 2011 no-fly zone over Libya.A US Navy P-3C Orion supporting Operation Odyssey Dawn engaged the Libyan coast guard vessel Vittoria on March 28, 2011 after the vessel and two smaller craft fired on merchant ships in the port of Misurata, Libya. The Orion fired an AGM-65 Maverick on the Vittoria, which was subsequently beached.
Civilian uses
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| Aero Union P-3A Orion taking off from Fox Field, Lancaster, California, to fight the North Fire. |
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| NOAA WP-3D Hurricane Hunters |
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| U.S. Department of Homeland Security P-3AEW&C to track drug couriers |
Aero Union, Inc. operates eight ex-USN P-3A aircraft configured as air tankers, which are leased to the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and other agencies for firefighting use. Several of these aircraft were involved in the U.S. Forest Service airtanker scandal but have not been involved in any catastrophic aircraft mishaps.
Latin America
Admiral Stavridis stated in a speech in January 2011 that P-3s have been used to hunt down "third generation" narco subs. This is significant due to as recently as July 2009 fully submersible submarines have begun to be used in smuggling operations.Variants
Main article: P-3 Orion variants
Over the years, numerous variants of the P-3 have been created. A few notable examples are:- WP-3D: Two P-3C aircraft as modified on the production line for NOAA weather research, including hurricane hunting.
- EP-3E Aries: 10 P-3A and 2 EP-3B aircraft converted into ELINT aircraft.
- EP-3E Aries II: 12 P-3C aircraft converted into ELINT aircraft.
- AP-3C: All Royal Australian Air Force P-3C/W aircraft which have been fully upgraded with totally new mission systems by L-3 Communications to include an Elta SAR/ISAR RADAR and a GD-Canada Acoustic Processor system.
- Lockheed CP-140 Aurora: Long-range maritime reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the Canadian Forces. Based on the P-3C Orion airframe, but mounts the more advanced electronics suite of the S-3 Viking; 18 built
- CP-140A Arcturus: Three P-3s without ASW equipment for Canadian Aurora crew training and various coastal patrol missions.
- P-7 proposed new-build and improved variant as a P-3 Orion replacement later canceled.
- Orion 21 proposed new-build and improved variant as a P-3 Orion replacement; lost to the Boeing P-8 Poseidon.