Lockheed P-3 Orion

P-3 Orion
A Kawasaki-built P-3C Orion of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
General information
TypeMaritime patrol aircraft
National originUnited States
ManufacturerLockheed
Lockheed Martin
Kawasaki Aerospace Company
StatusActive
Primary usersUnited States Navy
Number builtLockheed – 650,
Kawasaki – 107,
Total – 757[1]
History
Manufactured1961–1990[2]
Introduction dateAugust 1962[3]
First flightNovember 1959[3]
Developed fromLockheed L-188 Electra
VariantsLockheed AP-3C Orion
Lockheed CP-140 Aurora
Lockheed EP-3
Lockheed WP-3D Orion
Developed intoLockheed P-7

The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner; it is easily distinguished from the Electra by its distinctive tail stinger or "MAD" boom, used for the magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) of submarines.

Over the years, the P-3 has seen numerous design developments, most notably in its electronics packages. Numerous navies and air forces around the world continue to use the type primarily for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.[3] A total of 757 P-3s have been built. In 2012, it joined the handful of military aircraft including the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, and Lockheed C-130 Hercules that the United States military has been using for more than 50 years. In the twenty-first century, the turbofan-powered Boeing P-8 Poseidon began to supplement, and will eventually replace, the U.S. Navy's P-3s.

  1. ^ "P-3 production." Archived 1 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine p3orion.nl. Retrieved: 7 June 2011.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference aeroflight2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c "P-3C Orion long range ASW aircraft." Archived 16 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine navy.mil,, 18 February 2009. Retrieved: 14 July 2010.