Eventually all P-3s will stop flying, says Rick Kirkland, vice-president of Lockheed Martin's maritime surveillance enterprise. But constant demand for the Orion's mission capability means the US Navy and 16 international operators are not going to park their aircraft any time soon, he says. "There are enduring reasons to have this kind of aircraft, with its long endurance and mission flexibility," says Kirkland, "And for countries that are dependent of trade, the constancy of that capability is critical." While the USN and Australia are ready to begin the transition from P-3 toP-8, "other international custmers are not ready to make that decision", he says.
"Our desire is for a seamless transition when it happens," Kirkland says, and Lockheed's task is to maintain the P-3's capability until the last aircraft retires, some time beyond 2020, keeping up with technology and reducing costs. To tackle fatigue issues, the company offers a rewing programme that removes the outer panels, replaces 90% of the parts, and restores aircraft to a full 15,000h life. The horizontal tail is also replaced.
New Zealand's P-3s have been rewinged and Lockheed is setting up a line in Marietta, Georgia to produce new wings, initially for Norway's Orions. "Several other customers are in various stages of negotiations," says Kirkland. "For the fraction of the cost of a new aircraft they will be able to keep their P-3s flying." L-3 Integrated Systems offers a wing kit produced for the US Navy that extends life by 5,000-7,000h, but only the new wing restores full certified life, he says.
To reduce P-3 operating costs, Lockheed wants to offer performance-based logistics. "We need to keep the aircraft flying at a cost the custiomner can afford. Lockheed would assume the risk of maintainining the capability at a known cost," he says.
The USN is instrumental in keeping the Orion up to date technologically, building on the just-completed P-3C Avionics Improvement Programme. "The P-3's sensor capability is unmatched," says Kirkland. Now the navy is buying a software upgrade that takes the sensor information and creates an integrated tactical picture on the operator's console. The next step, yet to be funded, is a next-generation mission computer that would bring a sensor plug-and-play capability to the P-3.
The USN's plan to migrate systems from the P-3 to theP-8 - and from the P-8 to theP-3 - will also maintain the Orion's capability, Kirkland says. The integrated tactical picture and upgraded acoustic processor are examples of capabilities that will be fielded first in the P-3, he says.
Lockheed ended P-3 production in 1995, but sales of used aircraft continue to add operators to the list. Brazil is taking ex-USN Orions while Germany now operates the Netherlands' aircraft. Taiwan has finally approved the budget for 12 P-3Cs. These will be taken from desert storage and fitted with new wings and tails and upgraded mission systems. "Taiwan wants the AIPP-3C with certified full life extension," he says.
There are other potential sales still out there, says Kirkland, who believes Italy could become interested in an interim lease of P-3s if and when it eventually selects the P-8 to replace its ageing Breguet Atlantics.
Lockheed's P-3 is heading for the sunset, but the P-8 will not replace it until at least 2020
Source: Flight International
