BACKGROUND:
In continuous production for 30 years, the first P3V-1 having flown in April
1961 and the 652th and last P-3C being scheduled for delivery in September 1995,
the Lockheed Orion will still be in front-line service a quarter of century
from now. This longevity coupled with virtually unchanged airframe and powerplant
installation, clearly evidences the soundness of the basic design. Moreover,
the fact that the P-3C Update III is still setting the standard against which
other landbased ASW aircraft are compared further confirms that the Orion’s
original design concept incorporated what it took to cope with the ever more
sophisticated threat of quieter submarines.
Quite remarkably, the turboprop-powered Electra airline from which this superb
ASW aircraft was derived had initially experienced major structural and powerplant
difficulties. Quickly rendered obsolete in the eyes of travelers by the introduction
of pure-jet transports, it remained in production for only four years and was
rapidly withdrawn from use by most major carriers. Fortunately for Lockheed,
the Electra’s technical difficulties were easily resolved and, unlike airliners,
the US Navy and several foreign air forces found considerable merits in turboprops,
as the ASW and maritime patrol missions for which the Orion was derived from
the Electra favored long loitering capabilities over higher cruise speed.
Development of the Electra to provide the Navy with replacements for its land-based
Lockheed P2V Neptunes and Martin P5M Marlins was initiated in 1957, before the
first flight of the turboprop-powered airliner, when Lockheed submitted a formal
proposal . With its design meeting fully the requirements of the Navy, Lockheed
easily won the design competition, was awarded an initial research and development
contract in May 1958, and first flew the Orion’s aerodynamic prototype on 19
August 1958.
CURRENT NUMBER OF P3s IN SERVICE AROUND THE WORLD
(Aviation Week & Space Technology- Aerospace Source Book (1/8/96))
| COUNTRY |
VARIANT
| NUMBER |
| AUSTRALIA |
P-3C |
19 |
| CANADA |
CP-140 |
21 |
| CHILE |
P-3C |
8 |
| IRAN |
P-3F |
1 |
| JAPAN |
P-3C |
104 |
| NEATHERLANDS |
P-3C-II |
13 |
| NEW ZEALAND |
P-3K |
6 |
| NORWAY |
P-3C/N |
6 |
| PAKISTAN |
P-3C |
3 |
| PORTUGAL |
P-3P |
6 |
| SPAIN |
P-3A/B |
7 |
| THAILAND |
TP-3/UP-3 |
3 |
| UNITED STATES |
P-3A/B/C |
302 |
| 13 Countries |
Total |
499 |
SPECIFICATIONS
(JANE's ALL THE WORLD AIRCRAFT 1990-91)
EXTERNAL DIMENSIONS:
| Wing Span |
99 ft. 8 in |
| Wing Chord |
18 ft 11 in (root); 7 ft 7 in (tip) |
| Wing Aspect Ratio |
7.5 |
| Length Overall |
116 ft 10 in |
| Height Overall |
33 ft 8.5 in |
| Fuselage Diameter |
11 ft 4 in |
| Propeller Diameter |
13 ft 6 in |
WEIGHTS (P-3B/C):
| Weight Empty |
61,491 lb |
| Max Fuel Weight |
62,500 lb |
| Max Expendable Load |
20,000 lb |
| Max Normal T-O Weight |
135,000 lb |
| Max Permissible Weight |
142,000 lb |
| Design Zero-Fuel Weight |
77,200 lb |
| Max Landing Weight |
103,880 lb |
PERFORMANCE (P-3B/C, at max T-O weight):
| Max Level Speed at 15,000 ft |
411 knots |
| Econ Cruising Speed at 25,000 ft |
328 knots |
| Patrol Speed at 1,500 ft |
206 knots |
| Stalling Speed |
133 knots(flaps up); 112 knots(flaps down) |
| Max Rate of Climb at 1,500 ft |
1,950 ft/min |
| Time to 25,000 ft |
30 min |
| Service Ceiling |
28,300 ft |
| Service Ceiling, one engine out |
19,000 ft |
| T-O run |
4,240 ft |
| T-O to 50 ft |
5,490 |
| Landing from 50 ft |
2,770 ft |
| Mission Radius (3 h on station at 1,500 ft) |
1,346 nm |
| Max Mission Radius (no time on station) |
2,070 nm |
| Ferry Range |
4,830 nm |
| Max Endurance at 15,000 ft (two engines) |
17 hr 12 min |
| Max Endurance at 15,000 ft (four engines) |
12 hr 20 min |
ASW VARIANTS:
P-3A (Designated P3V-1 prior to September 1962)
P-3B
P-3C
ELECTRONIC WARFARE VARIANT:
EP-3B/C
PICTURES:
|
| Lockheed Electra N1883 was used as an aerodynamic prototype for the
Orion, featuring dummy MAD boom and weapons bay projections. It is seen
here before having the fuselage shortened to Orion dimensions. |
|
| Another picture of a Lockheed Electra which was modified at Jacksonville
Naval Air Depot. |
|
| A trio of P3V-1s from VP-8 show off the lines of the then-new maritime
patroller. They were the first unit to receive the type, and were soon
in action during the blockade of Cuba during the 1962 missile crisis. |
 
|
| An unusual civilian use of the Orion is firefighting. Six P-3As are
currently flying with Aero Union at Chico, California, modified with a
3,000-US gal ventral tank. |
  |
More pictures of the earlier P-3A model. |
|
| 
| Designed to patrol for long hours over the ocean, the Orion is also
very fast and surprisingly maneuverable, allowing it to undertake attacks
against both surfaces and submarine targets and to dodge defenses. (P-3B
shown) |
|
| 
| A picture of a P-3B of VP-92 in the Tactical Paint Scheme. |
 
 |
Four more pictures of the P-3B model. |
|
| The Orion can carry a wide variety of stores, covering the entire anti-ship/anti-sub
spectrum. Illustrated in front of the Australian P-3C are Harpoon missiles,
torpedoes, sonobuoys, and smoke markers. |
 
|
| Two pictures of P-3Cs in landing configurations. |
|
| A picture of a P-3C based at NAS Brunswick, Maine. |
|
| Operating at low levels over the sea plays havoc with metals, so Orions
have regular washdowns to curb salt corrosion. This is a P-3C of VP-24
in the Jacksonville, Florida washing facility. |
 
|
| Two additional P-3C pictures. |
|
| The first CP-140 Aurora is based on the Orion airframe but incorporates
the anti-submarine warfare suite from the S-3A Viking. |
|
| A P-3AEW "Blue Sentinel" aircraft that flies with the US Customs Service,
dedicated to detecting smuggling operations from Davis-Montan AFB and
New Orleans. |
|
| A picture of an Australia's Orion. |
|
| Among the more remarkable of the special mission variants are the EP-3A
(EATS) aircraft which fly with the Pacific Missile Test Center at NAS
Point Mugu. The Extended Area Test System, comprising a phased-array antenna
in the fin projection, is used for range support. |
|
| A rare picture of three EP-3E reconnaissance aircraft, all exhibiting
different antenna fits. |
 
|
| Two more pictures of the EP-3C model. |
|
| Pacific Fleet Orions regularly operate from Japan, Misawa, where this
aircraft gets a wash, is in the north of the country, allowing the Soviet
Pacific Fleet to be monitored closely. |
|
| A Japanese built P-3 flying over a mountain. |
|
| A picture of a Royal Norwegian Air Force's P-3N which was modified at
JAX NADEP. |
|
| Applications of lasers in undersea technology by NADC. |
|
| A CP-140 Aurora from Canadian Forces 407 Squadron located in Comox,
B.C. flies over Snowy Valley. |
|
| Another CP-140 picture. |
|
| BUNO 148889 as Droop Snoop Testbed. |
|
| 
| A P-3 flying over NAS Jacksonville. |
|
| 
| Picture of a P-3 in a bank turn with its bomb bay doors open.
|
|
| 
| The P-3 pilot has a well-designed cockpit, with an excellent outside
view. At his control is a powerful and responsive aircraft. |
|
| 
| The heart of the mission system is the Tactical Co-ordinator (TACCO)
station. Information from all the sensors is displayed on the large screen. |
|
| 
| In addition to pre-loaded sensors, sonobuoys can be loaded into tubes
during flight to meet varying operational requirements. Buoys are ejected
backwards to fall exactly under the aircraft's position at the point of
launch. |
|
| 
| The acousitc sensor stations are positioned over the aircraft's wing,
behind the non-acoustic station. |
|
| 
| Sitting opposite of TACCO, the nav/comms station is on the starboard
side of the cabin, immediately behind the flight deck. |
