For more than 50 years, the P-3 Orion has watched and protected the free world's sealines.
It has an important place in the history of maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare
aircraft. But, the time is running out for this iconic sea bird. Now, we are investigating
the legendary P-3 Orion, the mythological hunter of the seas.
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Since 1962, the P-3 Orion has been a busy maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare
aircraft. It has carried out the duty all around the world. But, this aircraft is now
ready for retirement. Let's look at the brief development history
of the aircraft. After the Second World War, Moscow realized
that the Soviet Navy could not match the big surface fleet of the West.
Also, a large scale shipbuilding programme was not economically possible.
The First Cold War was rising, and the lion share of the budget had to be spent to produce
jet fighters, modern tank, and nuclear arsenal. Even if the shipyards built large quantities
of surface combatants, the Soviet Navy did not have enough experienced manpower.
The USSR could not win an open sea battle. So, Moscow decided to build up a pirate navy.
The modern pirates were the submarines. The Soviet shipyards began to construct a massive
submarine fleet. NATO needed to improve its anti-submarine
warfare capacity. The US Navy converted many Essex-class aircraft carriers to anti-submarine
warfare carriers. The S-2 Tracker aircraft and SH-3 Sea King helicopters would protect
the extensive sea lines. But, it was not a feasible and reliable solution.
Having such a fleet was expensive. And if a carrier were hit or malfunctioned in a possible
war, all the aerial vehicles could be rendered ineffective.
The land-based long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft was a
cost-effective and reliable solutions. In the late 1940s, turboprops had reached
maturity. They had a greater power-to-weight ratio and reliability compared to piston engines.
So, the US Navy wanted to use these advantages. Because, the piston engines of the P-2 Neptunes
and P-5 Marlins were not as reliable as the turboprops.
The crew comfort was crucial for a long-range patrol. But, the habitability of these aircraft
was low. Also, the Western engineers had developed
many new types of submarine detection systems, which required more space to be fitted. Neither
the Neptune nor Marlin had enough space. So, in 1957, the US Navy required a new turboprop
maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft to replace its P-2s and P-5s.
To answer this requirement, Lockheed modified an L-118 Electra airliner. The US Navy signed
a contract with the company in April 1958. The prototype made its first flight on August
19, 1958. The production model of the aircraft, called
P3V-1, made its first flight on April 15, 1961.
One year later, it became operational. Later, the US Navy changed the aircraft destination
and renamed the P3V-1 as P-3A Orion. The crew instantly loved the aircraft. The
flight characteristics of the P-3 was smooth. It could take off and land from a short distance.
The turboprop engines were reliable. Besides, because it was a derivative of an
airliner, the P-3 had a larger internal space than the P-2. So, the crew could move inside
the aircraft without bending. The larger volume also provided more space
for additional sophisticated mission equipment. The fuselage, wings, and tail were made of
aluminium alloys that were highly resistant to corrosion.
The P-3A had two 3,420 kiloWatt T56-A10W engines. Shortly after, the B variant, which had 3,661
kiloWatt T56-A14 engines, were introduced. The P-3C made its maiden flight on September
8, 1968. For the first two variants, the sonobuoys
could be only loaded internally. The P-3C's sonobuoys could be loaded both
internally and externally. In 1976, the C variant gained the capability
of launching AGM-84 Harpoon. One year later, the aircraft was equipped
with an infra-red detection system. Besides the maritime patrol and anti-submarine
warfare variants, the Orion had numerous models for other missions.
For example, the TP-3 was a modified version for training duties.
The utility variant of the aircraft was the UP-3.
Also, many electronic intelligence models, such as the EP-3 and UP-3D, were produced.
The aircraft had even an airborne early warning and control variant.
The OP-3C was developed for image information reconnaissance missions.
In 1986, Japan, which produced the aircraft under license, even considered modifying the
P-3C as a flying air defence cruiser. The aircraft would be equipped with the AN​​/APS-138
radar of the E-2C and the AN/AWG-9 radar of the F-14.
This modified Orion, which would carry 12 AIM-54 Phoneix long-range air-to-air missiles,
would protect the fleet from the bombers, which could launch the long-range anti-ship
missiles. But, later, the project was abandoned.
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Greece, Iran, Japan, New Zealand,
Norway, Pakistan, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and the USA are current users of the
P-3.The Netherlands and Thailand retired them. The crew of the P-3C is 11-person. The aircraft
has a length of 35.6 metres, a wingspan of 30.4 metres, a wing area of 120.77 square
meters, and a height of 11.8 metres. Its empty weight is 27.98 tons, while its maximum take-off
weight is 64.41 tons. Four 3,661 kiloWatt Allison T-56-A-14 engines provide the maximum
speed of 761 kilometres per hour. The cruise speed of the aircraft is 607 kilometres per
hour. The range of the P-3C is 8,944 kilometres. Its service ceiling is 8,625 metres. The aircraft
can carry the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, AGM-65 Maverick air to surface missiles, Mk46,
Mk50, Mk54, and MU90 torpedoes, sea mines, and depth charges.
With a standard mission payload, the weight of the P-3C was 49,895 kilogram. With this
weight, the aircraft could conduct the patrol mission at an altitude of 457 metres with
a speed of 381 kilometres per hour for 3 hours. So, the Orion could cover a mission radius
of 3,494 kilometres. During the service life, the subsystems of
the P-3 have been constantly upgraded. Also, different user replaced the AN/APS-155
radar of the aircraft for more modern ones. In 2008, Lockheed Martin began to produce
the new wings for the P-3 as part of its Service Life Extension Programme.
The Orion's 2.3-metre wide, 0.88-metre deep, and 3.91-metre long internal bomb bay is used
for the torpedoes. The aircraft can carry the torpedoes underwing
pylons only for ferrying. The standard endurance of the aircraft is
10 to 12 hours. To increase the endurance, the aircraft can
shut down its outside left and rights engines. In this way, fuel consumption decreases. But,
it is known that when the engines shut down, the stability is reduced, and the rear part
of the aircraft is likely to shake. In 1972, an Orion of the Royal New Zealand
Air Force, which was the first foreign customer of the P-3, set a record by using this method,
and aloft for 21 hours and 30 minutes. When the world came face to face with threat
of nuclear war in 1962, the P-3 was one of the leading players. During the Cuban Missile
Crisis, the aircraft took on important tasks in the pursuit of Soviet ships approaching
the blockade area. Two years later, the Orions began to patrol
over Vietnam coasts. In Operation Market Time, they pursued the vessels, which carried the
supplies to the Viet Cong. The P-3s were generally flying over the sea. Yet, from time to time,
they also flew over the land, which was a dangerous mission. In 1968, one US Orion was
shot down by the Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns.
Four years after this sad event, this time, the P-3 became a part of happy news. On January
28, 1971, by reaching a speed of 806 kilometres per hour, an Orion set a world speed record
for heavyweight turboprops. Just before Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the
US Navy was testing a specialized over-the-horizon targeting system package on a P-3. This aircraft
deployed to the Middle East immediately. At the very beginning of Operation Desert
Storm, it detected a big Iraqi fleet near Bubiyan Island. This P-3 directed the strike
elements of the coalition to the fleet. The result was devastating for the Iraqis.
The Orions were used for numerous valuable surveillance. During the war, 108 Iraqi vessels
were destroyed. The US sources claim that 55 of them were targeted by the P-3Cs.
The Orion's ground surveillance capabilities were enhanced in the late 1990s. The US and
Australian P-3s were frequently used to support ground operations in Afghanistan and Iraq
in the 2000s. The P-3 played important roles in many important
battles. But, its EP-3E ARIES II variant has become
more mediatic. On April 1, 2001, an EP-3E of the US Navy collided with a Chinese J-8II
fighter in the air. For many, this was not an accident. China had sacrificed the aircraft
and the pilot to made the ARIES II land. Of course, before the emergency landing to Hainan
Island, the crew of the EP-3E had destroyed the many classified materials, hardware, and
software on the aircraft as a standard procedure. Even so, it is estimated that the Chinese
intelligence managed to reach some critical information.
During the 2011 military intervention in Libya, a US Navy P-3C Orion fired an AGM-65 Maverick
missile on a Libyan coast guard vessel. The vessel was beached after it had tried to escape.
In 2007, Pakistan used its P-3s for ground surveillance and bombing missions against
the Taliban. So, in 2011, the Taliban raided the headquarters
of the Pakistan Naval Air Arm base in Karachi and managed to destroy two of them.
The Pakistani Orions have also been very useful assets for the clashes in the Kashmir region.
Since 2008, the German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish P-3s have been used against piracy
in Somalia. In Greek mythology, the Orion is the son of
Poseidon. Generally, the sons succeed the father.
But, today, many of its users are replacing their P-3s with the P-8 Poseidon.
Also, the Orions of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force give their place to the P-1s.
Many P-3 users have not decided on the successor of the aircraft. So, the Orion will continue
its mission for a while. However, the time is running out for the P-3. Since the 1960s,
it has protected the sea lines of the free world and become one of the most feared adversaries
of eastern submarines. Yet, the Orion is now tired. This legendary aircraft deserves a
well-earned retirement. It will lose its place in military service soon, but the P-3 will
never lose its place in the hearts of aviation enthusiasts.
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