The Lockheed P-3 Orion was a long-range, anti-submarine and early warning aircraft, which was in service with the US Navy for more than fifty years. Based on a commercial aircraft, it had been turned into a high-tech, military airplane to cope with the Soviet nuclear submarine threat during the Cold War, replacing the P-2 Neptune in the 1960s. It was exported to allied nations, such as Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Also an electronic intelligence gathering variant would be operated by the Navy.
Developed from the Lockheed L-188 Electra airline aircraft, the prototype of the Orion, the YP3V-1 first took to the air on November 25, 1959, from Burbank, California. The flight test phase lasted less than three years, entering service with the US Navy on August 27, 1962, as the P3V-1, which would be redesignated P-3A on September 18, that year. Equipped with four turboprop engines and a wide wing-span, the Orion was a reliable aircraft capable of long-range flights and 'loiter' for hours over the oceans, searching for Soviet submarines. The P-3B, P-3C, and the EP-3 versions were also built, with production totaling 757 aircraft.
The P-3 Orion had good short-field performance and handling as well as ample fuselage space for the crew, heavy electronic equipment, and weapons. A team of six service men operated the sonic, electronic surveillance and radar equipment in the center fuselage section. Update programs would keep this anti-submarine warfare aircraft abreast of advances in military technology as a new version was offered to the British RAF to replace the Nimrod patrol aircraft.
Below, the YP3V-1 prototype in flight in late 1959.
Technical Description
The Lockheed P-3 Orion was a four-engine monoplane, which had an cylindrical, all-metal fuselage. It was fitted with straight, cantilever low-wing, with dihedral angle. The wing leading edge was straight but the trailing edge tapered slightly towards the tip. The tail assembly fin rudder and tailplane elevators were made of aluminum alloy. At the extreme rear end of fuselage, there was a tail boom with a cone, which housed the AN/ASQ-81 magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) for spotting and tracking submerged submarines. The P-3C version of the Orion was powered by four Allison F56-A-14 turboprop engines, each one capable of generating 4,910 horsepower.
Specifications
Type: anti-submarine, patrol, and surveillance aircraft.
Length: 35.5 m (116 feet, 7 inches)
Wing Span: 30.37 m (99 feet, 6 inches)
Wing Area: 120.77 m2 (1,300 square feet)
Power Plant: four Allison T56-A-14 turboprop engines.
Maximum Speed: 750 km/h (466 mph)
Range: 7,668 km (4,765 miles)
Service Ceiling: 8,625 m (28,297 feet)
Crew: 11
Armament: AGM-84D Harpoon anti-ship missiles; Mk-46/50 torpedoes; plus depth charges and other weapons.
Below, a P-3 Orion assigned to VP-4 "Skinny Dragons" takes off from NAS North Island, California.
Dorsal view of a P-3A Orion in flight in 1963.
A P-3C version (QE-913), assigned to VP-40 in flight, with the landing gear in transit.
Below, the P-3B Orion (BuNo 152737) of VP-9 is armed with four AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-air missiles.
One EP-3E Orion electronic surveillance aircraft banks away. You can see its large circular radome on its ventral side of aircraft.
Below, one Orion flying low over the Pacific Ocean during patrol duties. Notice the tail boom holding the AN/ASQ-81 magnetic anomaly detector.
