P-3 Orion Research Group

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this page was last updated on 2 August 2008

Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion Worldwide News Section

previously published news items are kept in our news archive

VP-1 P-3C mishap

(02aug08) On 22 July 2008 the pilots of P-3C-II½ BuNo 161331 lost control for a few moments. The Orion was doing a training mission on three engines (engine #1 out), when vibrations in engine #2 made the crew decide to shut down #2 as well. This brought the aircraft into a stall, causing an uncontrolled descent during which the Orion did five spin rotations. 45 consecutive rivets were pulled out on the starboard wing during the 7G pull out (rolling pull), after peaking at negative 2.4G's as well. The Orion lost all the fuel in tank #3 when it appears that the seam between planks 3 and 4 split. Tank #4 also lost its fuel load when plank #1 separated from rest of the aircraft wing. The crew got control over the aircraft again at an altitude between 50 and 200 ft and brought the aircraft in for a safe landing at NAS Whidbey Island.

Forty years of Orion operations

(02aug08) With a parade at RAAF Edinburgh the Royal Australian Air Force celebrated that it was forty years ago that the RAAF’s first Orion (a P-3B) arrived in Australia. The air force’s P-3 Orions are home based at RAAF Edinburgh since 26 May 1978. Today the RAAF is operation 18 AP-3C Orions and a single P-3C test bed.

Consolidated Maintenace Organizations

(02aug08) As stated in an interview in the Spring 2008 Wings of Gold magazine, the Navy has taken the unusual step of separating aircraft ownership and maintenance personnel from VP squadrons and created Consolidated Maintenance Organizations (CMOs). At each of three patrol reconnaissance wings (2 (Kaneohe), 10 (Whidbey), and 11 (Jacksonville), one CMO with a designation that matches the wing (i.e., CMO-11 at CPRW-11 at Jax) will own all of the P-3 aircraft and the maintenance personnel at the base. The VP squadrons will consist of the aircrews and a handful of admin personnel. When a VP squadron deploys, the CMO will send a maintenance detachment to accompany the squadron at the deployment site. This situation has been necessitated by the critical shortage of P-3s in the fleet. This also is why tail codes have been deleted from fleet VP aircraft. This situation is unprecedented in U.S. naval aviation history, at least in modern times. Ironically, this move comes as the USAF, which had wing-level aircraft ownership and maintenance at many units, is trending toward squadron ownership and maintenance.

CMO establishment dates (from Naval Aviation News Jul-Aug 2008):

CMO-11              NAS Jacksonville                 22 Oct 2007
CMO-2                 MCAS Kanehoe Bay           27 Dec 2007
CMO-10              NAS Whidbey Island            27 Dec 2007

There will be no CMO at NAS Brunswick because the base is being closed and its squadrons relocated to Jacksonville.

Delivery of Korean P-3CK Orions delayed

(02aug08) The delivery of refurbished U.S. maritime patrol aircraft has been delayed due to “technical problems” regarding systems integration, a military source said . The delay of the P-3 Orion aircraft is expected to hamper the Navy's plan to boost its independent intelligence-gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities ahead of Seoul's takeover of wartime operational control of its armed forces in 2012, said the source. In 2005, South Korea signed a contract to buy eight updated P-3B aircraft through the U.S. foreign military sales (FMS) program, with deliveries being completed by the end of 2010 in phases. The first delivery was to be made in July. The deal was valued at about $496 million. “The first delivery of the P-3 aircraft has been delayed to December due to failures by the U.S. side in integrating systems to meet the Korean Navy's operational requirements, so that a delay in the deployment of the aircraft seems to be inevitable,” the source privy to the aircraft acquisition program told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.

New wings for Customs and Border Protection Orions

(24dec07) Following the results of the U.S Navy Full Scale Fatigue Test Program conducted in December 2004, the US Dept. of the Homeland Security has recently issued an RFP for the delivery of re-wing kits for 14 of the current 16 P-3 Orions of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The re-wing kits include new outer wings, center wing (lower and upper surface), and included as optional are outer wing leading edges, wing, tail and engine fillet fairings, and tail pipe shrouds. The two CBP aircraft that will not have a new set of wings are their first two AEW birds. These are former RAAF aircraft with very low TLI rating due to the way they were maintained and flown, so no problems with the wings are expected. The Customs and Border Protection is the third P-3 operator who has decided to increase the Orion’s service life by adding new wings to their aircraft. New Zealand replaced the wings of its six P-3 Orions in a program that started in 1997, while the Royal Norwegian Air Force signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for the production and installation of new wings on their six Orions last February. New wings will add more than 15,000 flying hours to each aircraft, representing 20 to 25 additional years of service.

Future for 10 Auroras secured

(19dec07) The Canadian government is confirming that it will purchase new surveillance aircraft while keeping most of the military's aging Aurora patrol planes flying until 2020. The Defence Department will proceed with structural upgrades to keep 10 of the aging Auroras operating and deal with cracks in their wings as well as other sections of the planes. Canada operates 18 Auroras and it's not clear what will happen to the remaining aircraft. The military had originally wanted to put a halt to all of the upgrades and structural work and proceed with the purchase of a new surveillance aircraft by 2016. Officers argued that made the most economic sense. But successful lobbying by aerospace firms, including those in Defence Minister Peter MacKay's riding, derailed that proposal. Dan Dugas, Mr. MacKay's spokesman, said new surveillance planes will be purchased, but he did not provide additional details. "Unlike the previous Liberal government's record of using aircraft well beyond their best-before-date -- the Sea Kings come to mind -- this government is planning now to buy state-of-the-art aircraft to replace the Aurora," Mr. Dugas said yesterday. Defence Department officials declined to be interviewed and instead referred the Citizen to the department's web page and a press release on the Aurora. The department will capitalize on these investments by "upgrading the structure on the majority of the fleet," Mr. MacKay said in the press release. "The investment will keep the aircraft safe and operationally viable until 2020." The Defence Department will move ahead with the next phase of Aurora modernization, which will involve improvements to radars, computers and other systems. The structural upgrades will also be done to ensure the "longevity and safe operation of these 10 aircraft." So far, the department has spent $955 million to modernize the Auroras with new radios and other communications equipment and navigation gear. The military's recommendation had been to keep the Auroras flying until 2016 without any upgrades, while proceeding with the purchase of the Poseidon surveillance aircraft, the U.S. navy's successor to its version of the Aurora. Several years ago, Canada was invited by the U.S. to take part in the Poseidon program, but declined. While some air force officers want the Poseidon, a 737 converted into a surveillance aircraft, others are recommending the purchase of a plane similar to the ASTOR surveillance aircraft. That project is under way for Britain's military. ASTOR uses the smaller Bombardier Global Express jet and is designed for providing surveillance of ground targets.

USN grounds 39 P-3s over faulty wings

(17dec07) The Navy on Monday grounded 39 P-3 Orion anti-submarine patrol planes - nearly one in four of its inventory - because of concerns that a structural defect could cause either of the aircraft's wings to break off in flight. The grounding was the result of engineering analysis and computer modeling and was not caused by any actual structural failures, said John Milliman, spokesman for Naval Air Systems Command. Navy engineers looked at several factors, Milliman said, including the
number of hours a particular aircraft has flown, the maneuvers it performed while in flight, the altitude the aircraft have operated at and the climate in areas where it has been based in determining which aircraft should be grounded and which should be kept flying. Milliman said each grounded aircraft will be flown to a repair depot in
Jacksonville, Fla. Those that can be repaired will be out of service for between 18 and 24 months. Those that can't will be retired. Navy officials have not determined how much the repairs will cost or whether retired aircraft will be replaced, he said. Navy officials will rotate P-3s from other parts of the fleet to replace the 10 grounded aircraft that are currently deployed, and commanders plan to ensure that each squadron can meet all of its operational requirements. The Navy has 161 P-3s. Their average age is 28 years old; the oldest aircraft is 44 and the youngest 18. Milliman was unable to say whether the age or flight time of the grounded planes was greater than that of the P-3
fleet as a whole.

Aero Union Corporation activates and delivers the fifth Brazil P-3A Orion

(03dec07) Aero Union Corporation (AUC) announced today that they completed the activation and ferry flight of the fifth of twelve Brazilian owned Lockheed P-3A Orion aircraft, BuNo 152140 with Brazilian registration FAB 7203. With AUC crews piloting the aircraft, they departed AUC in Chico, California on the morning of November 12 and flew non-stop to Bangor, Maine where the aircraft cleared US Customs. The aircraft departed Bangor the following day and flew non-stop to OGMA facilities in Alverca, Portugal. The aircraft landed at 11:30 AM local time on November 14. "The ferry flight was uneventful and arrived at its destination on schedule and the first to be ferried with new T56-A14 upgraded power plants. This aircraft will be completely modernized including the EADS CASA Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS)", says Robert Farinsky, Director of Business Development.

EP-3E replacement to be chosen early 2008

(30nov07) The US Navy is scheduled to announce the winner of its $2 billion Broad Area Maritime Surveillance contract in early 2008, and has recently launched the first phase of a project to replace its Lockheed EP-3E Aries II electronic intelligence aircraft. Boeing has previously said that it will offer the 737-based EP-8 for the requirement, but there is a new signal that Airbus is preparing to offer the A320 and Embraer a version of its E190 regional jet. A broad agency announcement warns that foreign-owned firms will be banned from competing as prime contractors, but says the programme "will consider all platform concepts with the potential to meet certification and performance requirements". Non-US companies could also participate as subcontractors or suppliers, with "some restrictions", under the outline.
The USN estimates that the first six years of the EPX programme will cost about $1.1 billion, including at least $728 million for research, development, test and evaluation.

Canada cancels surveillance flights to the Arctic

(13nov07) The Canadian air force has cancelled its surveillance flights in the North for the next several months even though Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said protecting Canada's Arctic sovereignty is one of his government's top priorities. More than half of Canada's fleet of Aurora aircraft, which patrol the country's two coastlines and the Arctic, is in the repair shop, undergoing long-term maintenance, the air force said. Only six of 14 Auroras based at CFB Greenwood in Nova Scotia are able to
fly and the air force has decided it will dispatch them to areas off the East Coast and West Coast only. "Most likely the Arctic patrols will resume sometime in the spring of '08," Col. Derek Joyce told CBC News. In the past, the Auroras made between 12 and 16 surveillance flights over the Arctic every year. But the closest Aurora crews will get to the Arctic for the next five months is practising Northern flights in a high-tech simulator.

Aero Union Corporation is designated a P-3 Orion Service Center

(08nov07) Lockheed Martin Corporation has designated Aero Union Corporation of Chico, California an Authorized P-3 Orion Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Center. With this certification, Aero Union joins a very small and select group of only four facilities in the World with this designation. P-3 Orions are operated by the U.S. Navy,
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and foreign military governments for maritime patrol, earth science, anti-terrorism, border protection and various other missions. Aero Union operates P-3 Orions for its unique wildland firefighting mission throughout the USA. "This P-3 Service Center designation is something we have been working toward for a long period", said Aero Union President and CEO Terry Unsworth. "We are very proud to receive this recognition by the original aircraft manufacturer. It validates the knowledge, skill, capabilities and processes we have developed to support any P-3 Orion operator in the World". Aero Union is rapidly expanding its maintenance, repair and overhaul capability with the addition of new hangar facilities in operation and others planned for 2008. The Company has traditionally focused on operating and maintaining its own fleet of eight P-3 aircraft which have been
converted for airborne firefighting. The new facilities will be sized for the P-3 and C-130 aircraft, as is the newest facility which is capable of fully housing up to three P-3 aircraft or two C-130 aircraft. "The greatly expanded modern facilities will allow us to offer the same level of service and attention to detail to other P-3 operators that we provide to our own aircraft, those of NASA and the Brazilian Air Force," Unsworth said. "This is the most significant achievement in our progress as we grow the company into an internationally recognized and highly-regarded P-3 MRO center". The P-3 Orion Service Center designation also brings benefits to the community, including more employment opportunities and growth for the airport. "Aero Union is developing new business for Chico. This business will fuel the need for additional aircraft maintenance technicians and new construction. Aero Union's growth is the catalyst that will drive the need for the airport expansion," said Unsworth.

Lockheed Martin completes first Special Structural Inspection Kit mod

(07nov07) Lockheed Martin has successfully completed a P-3 delivery milestone for the U.S. Navy, performing an industry-first modification and scheduled maintenance effort on one of the Navy's P-3C aircraft. Lockheed Martin completed a Special Structural Inspection Kit (SSI-K) modification in conjunction with Phased Depot Maintenance (PDM) at its Greenville Site Operations maintenance and modification facility in Greenville, S.C. The aircraft was delivered last month and marks the first SSI-K modification completed simultaneously with a scheduled PDM in the P-3 community. "This is a significant delivery milestone for our Navy customer and other P-3 operators," says John Cary, Greenville Site Operations vice president and general manager. "Successfully completing a heavy mod such as SSI-K in conjunction with a scheduled PDM is a big step forward in streamlining our P-3 support capability." Lockheed Martin currently provides PDM, significant structural inspections, heavy structural modifications, and kit installations to improve P-3 mission effectiveness at its Greenville facility. In March 2008, the new P-3 wing production line will become operational at the company's Marietta, Ga., manufacturing facility. These Life Extension Kits, which will be comprised of newly manufactured wings, a horizontal stabilizer and a center wing lower assembly, will add an additional 15,000 flying hours to each aircraft, representing 20-25 additional years of service life. Delivery of the first kit to the Royal Norwegian Air Force is scheduled for June 2009.

Chile to retire Orions

(16sep07) The Chilean navy is replacing its P-3 Orion and Embraer P-111 fixed-wing aircraft with EADS Casa C-295 Persuader for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare roles. There's been no official announcement of the deal yet. But a transcript of an interview with navy commander Adm. Rodolfo Codina Diaz, posted on the navy's official Web site, quotes him saying seven planes will be purchased. The deal isn't quite done, the admiral notes, but the planes will be Casa C-295. Initially, two planes will be acquired, to be followed by five more. No word on how much the acquisition will cost, or when deliveries are planned. The advantage of C-295 is that all the branches of Chile's armed forces already operate Casa transport planes, and Casa has partnered with Chile's Enaer on several projects.

Previously published news items are kept in our news archive