P-3 Orion Research Group

AP-3C%20transparant P-3 Orion Research Group

The Netherlands

this page was last updated on 3 August 2010

Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion Worldwide News Section

previously published news items are kept in our news archive

Third Orion replacement test bird flies

(03aug10) Boeing’s P-8A Poseidon aircraft T3 successfully completed its first flight test in Seattle on July 29. T3 is the P-8A program's mission-system and weapon-certification aircraft. During the two-hour and 48-minute flight from Boeing Field, Boeing, and U.S. Navy test pilots performed airborne systems checks including engine accelerations and decelerations, autopilot flight modes, and auxiliary power unit and engine shutdowns and starts. In the coming weeks, T3 will join the two P-8A test aircraft currently at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., and complete additional ground and flight tests. "At Pax River, the Boeing and Navy team will use some of the ground test data we've gathered in Seattle for in-flight separation and delivery accuracy tests that will occur later this year," said Chris Ahsmann, P-8A chief engineer for Boeing. T3 is one of six flight-test aircraft that are being assembled and tested as part of the U.S. Navy System Development and Demonstration contract Boeing received in 2004. Airworthiness-test aircraft T1 entered flight test in October 2009 and arrived at the Navy's Patuxent River facility in April of this year. T2, the primary mission-system test aircraft, arrived at Pax River in June. The Navy plans to purchase 117 P-8A anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance aircraft to replace its P-3 fleet. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013.

First set of new CP-140 Aurora wings delivered

(28jul10) Lockheed Martin delivered the first of 10 new Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) outer wings on July 28 for installation on a CP-140 Aurora for the Government of Canada. These wings will be installed by IMP Aerospace, a Lockheed Martin P-3 service center located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Canada operates a fleet of 18 CP-140 Aurora aircraft playing a critical role in search and rescue, littoral/overland surveillance, economic zone and shipping lane protection, submarine detection and anti-terrorism. The aircraft are based on the P-3 Orion airframe. The MLU program replaces the outer wings, center wing lower surface, horizontal stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer leading edges with all new material. All necessary fatigue-life limiting structure is replaced and new alloys are used with a five-fold increase in corrosion resistance to provide significantly reduced maintenance and sustainment costs. The MLU will extend the structural service life of the CP-140 up to 15,000 hours and adds 20 years of operational use. "The Government of Canada's MLU program reinforces our commitment to support the CP-140s for the long-term," said Ray Burick, Lockheed Martin P-3 Program vice president. "We are also proud to partner with IMP Aerospace for the installation of the MLU on the Auroras." "As Canada's CP-140 In Service Support contractor, IMP is very pleased to continue our long-term partnership with Lockheed Martin, while upgrading this critical and strategic fleet for the Canadian Forces," said David Gossen, president of IMP Aerospace. The all-new production wings are the cornerstone of the P-3 MLU program. Lockheed Martin has 52 MLU kits under contract with six operators from four nations. To date, a total of nine MLU kits have been delivered to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Norway, Canada and Taiwan.

First Mid-Life Update P-3 delivered

(13jul10) The first Lockheed Martin P-3 Orion with new Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) enhancements was delivered to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in ceremonies a Greenville SC today. The newly re-winged P-3 will soon make its first flight and will immediately be a game-changer for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. This aircraft is the first of many that will benefit with increased availability and reliability for critical homeland security missions. "The P-3 Orion is unsurpassed in its flexibility in maritime patrol and reconnaissance," said Ralph Heath, president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. "The Mid-Life Upgrade will ensure this national asset continues to provide second-to-none service for the next 20 years." Lockheed Martin's P-3 MLU program provides a technically proven, low-risk, cost-effective solution replacing the aircraft outer wings, center wing lower surface and horizontal stabilizer with new production components. U.S. Customs and Border Protection will receive up to 14 upgraded P-3s for deliveries planned through 2015. This first CBP MLU aircraft was completed in 14 months. To date, Lockheed Martin has 52 MLU kits under contract with six operators from four nations. "We are excited about our partnership with Customs and Border Protection," said Ray Burick, Lockheed Martin P-3 Programs vice president, "and we are committed to providing them with modernization enhancements to sustain the P-3 for decades to come. The MLU integrates well with our 10-year site and depot P-3 Fleet Maintenance Program, now underway with CBP." The MLU replaces all fatigue-life limiting structure with enhanced-design components and incorporates a new metal alloy that is five times more corrosion resistant, greatly reducing the cost of ownership for P-3 Operators. The MLU removes current aircraft flight restrictions and extends the structural service life of the P-3 up to 15,000 hours and adds 20 years of operational use. P-3 Orion is the standard for maritime patrol and reconnaissance, and is used for homeland security, hurricane reconnaissance, anti-piracy operations, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, intelligence gathering, antisubmarine warfare and, recently, to assist in air traffic control and data gathering over the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Previously published news items are kept in our news archive