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Pakistan to replace Orion patrol aircraft with Brazilian jetliner By: Usman Ansari Defense News October 26, 2020 ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s Navy has selected the Embraer Lineage 1000 jetliner to replace its P-3C Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft, a source with knowledge of the program has confirmed to Defense News. Outgoing naval chief Adm. Adm. Zafar Mahmood Abbasi announced on October 6 that the Navy would replace its P-3C Orion fleet with ten converted commercial jets, the first of which has been ordered. However, he did not identify the type. The Ministry of Defence Production, which handles acquisition, did not return requests for comment regarding the conversion and possible partners. With only a single aircraft ordered thus far, the program is in its early stages. When converted for Pakistani service, the aircraft will be called Sea Sultan. It is unclear if the aircraft is being acquired directly from the manufacturer or another party. Embraer did not respond to requests for comment. The question of what issues may arise in converting the aircraft was put to Douglas Barrie, an aerospace analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “Using a commercial turbofan engine-powered aircraft as the basis for an ASW platform is not unheard of. After all, the U.S. P-8 is a Boeing 737-800 derivative,” he said. But there are challenges in converting the aircraft, he added, “not least of all if internal weapons carriage is required where a bomb bay will need to be cut into the airframe.” “[It is a] significant undertaking and risk management is going to be important,” he said, adding that it’s likely Embraer will be asked to help with the conversion, “otherwise the challenges just get all the greater.” Frederico Lemos, Embraer’s defense representative who handles business in Asia, did not respond to Defense News’ questions about whether the company is or would be involved in the conversion process.

Fair winds and following seas to the Navy’s P-3C Geoff Ziezulewicz Navy Times June 4, 2020 The U.S. Navy’s P-3C Orion patrol aircraft fleet retired from active duty last month after nearly 60 years in service. With the replacement P-8 Poseidon now taking on the mission for the Navy’s patrol squadrons, the Orion fleet are free to collect their shadow boxes and muse among themselves about how today’s land-based, long-range, anti-submarine warfare patrol aircraft have it easier than they did back in the day. This long-planned transition away from the P-3C was completed in mid-May, when VP-40 at NAS Whidbey Island turned in its last Orion, according to a Navy release. The last of the active-duty P-3Cs, aircraft 162776, was delivered to the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. While technically a sub hunter, the workhorse flew missions during the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, the campaign against the ISIS in Iraq and Syria, as well as countless other intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations over the decades. In March 2019, the “Fighting Marlins” of VP-40 flew their P-3s from Whidbey to Bahrain for the aircraft’s last active-duty deployment. Squadrons began transitioning to the Poseidon in 2013. Despite VP-40 closing the door on the Orion’s active-duty service, two Navy Reserve squadrons – NAS Jacksonville’s VP-62 and Whidbey Island’s VP-69 --will continue flying the plane. The last P-3C Orion is expected to be phased out in 2023. VX-30 at Point Mugu will also continue to fly the Orion.

VP-40 Completes Fleet’s Final Active-Duty P-8A Transition 05.15.2020 Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jakoeb VanDahlen VP-40 OAK HARBOR, WA, UNITED STATES — The “Fighting Marlins” of VP-40 successfully completed transition from the P-3C Orion to the P-8A Poseidon, the Navy’s newest maritime patrol aircraft, on May 14, 2020. VP-40 began the P-8A platform transition in November 2019 following its return to NAS Whidbey Island after completing the Navy’s final active duty P-3C deployment. On this landmark deployment, the “Fighting Marlins” made significant contributions to international maritime security while conducting sustained operations from three continents, marking the conclusion of VP-40’s forward-deployed P-3C operations that began in 1968. The squadron completed the last of its nine P-3C aircraft transfers with the delivery of aircraft 162776 to the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida and then commenced P-8A transition training under the instruction of VP-30, the Navy’s Patrol and Reconnaissance FRS at NAS Jacksonville. VP-30 has been conducting squadron transitions to the P-8A since 2012 utilizing a team of military and civilian maintenance and aircrew professionals. The first phase of the transition consisted of classroom, simulator, and aircraft ground training over the course of two months and took place at NAS Whidbey Island. “Though our aircraft has changed, our vision has stayed the same,” said Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 2nd Class Sarah Moore, “as every sailor learns different aspects of the job and they support our ‘Marlin’ family. Achieving our shared goals through teamwork has directly resulted in a successful transition from P-3C to P-8A.” The second phase of the transition introduced in-flight training in addition to continued simulator, classroom, and ground training and was executed as a three-month detachment to NAS Jacksonville that concluded with a fleet-model performance in the Conventional Weapons Technical Proficiency Inspection. During this phase, the “Fighting Marlins” also received tactical instruction and training support from other Jacksonville-based commands, including the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Weapons School and the “Tridents” of VP-26. “The P-8 operates very differently from the P-3, but the fundamentals of being a pilot remain the same,” said Lt. Alan Thornhill, a pilot with VP-40. “The aircraft has a lot more technology [than the P-3C] and can provide its pilots an immense amount of information. Knowing what information is important and relevant at any given moment still takes practice and training. Automation makes the plane fly more safely, but is limited by the understanding and ability of the person managing the automation to make safe and timely decisions. We still focus heavily on the mantra of ‘aviate, navigate, communicate’ to keep ourselves caged on the important details of whatever phase of flight we are in.” The third and final phase consisted of advanced training, evaluation, and inspections led by the VP-30.1 transition team in Whidbey Island. Support was also provided by other Whidbey Island-based commands, including Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10 and the “Grey Knights” of VP-46. For the aircrew, this final phase culminated in nine aircrews successfully conducting exercise torpedo attacks on a subsurface training target and in all aircrew achieving positional qualifications in the aircraft. For the maintenance professionals of VP-40, this culminated in the successful completion of the Maintenance Program Assist inspection and subsequent Safe for Flight certification, signifying the completion of the transition and VP-40’s ability to independently operate as a P-8A squadron. “The VP-40 ‘Fighting Marlins’ sustained their energy, motivation, and focus through seven months of rigorous training,” said Cmdr. Joseph Parsons, VP-40’s Executive Officer. “Our Sailors were consistently recognized by the VP-30 team for their positive attitude, extensive preparation, and exceptional performance.” The squadron qualified 56 Collateral Duty

U.S. spyplanes monitor North Korea on New Year’s Day January 1, 2020 SEOUL, Jan. 1 (Yonhap) — U.S. spyplanes flew over and around the Korean Peninsula on New Year’s Day, an aviation tracker said, as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the communist nation will soon show off a “new strategic weapon”. An RC-135W Rivet Joint of the U.S. Air Force took off from Japan’s Kadena AB at 8:25 am (Korean time) for an East Sea mission, while an EP-3E of the U.S. Navy also flew over South Korea at 25,000 feet, according to Aircraft Spots. The flights came after the North’s leader said there is no ground for him to keep his promise to suspend nuclear and long-range missile tests and the world will “witness a new strategic weapon to be possessed by the DPRK in the near future”. The DPRK stands for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The U.S. has been closely monitoring the North since Pyongyang warned last month that it is up to the U.S. what Christmas gift it wants to get, sparking concern that the regime could restart testing of nuclear weapons or intercontinental ballistic missiles.

USA approves $78m upgrade to Argentina’s recently-bought P-3C aircraft By Garrett Reim FlightGlobal 20 December 2019 The U.S. State Department approved a potential $78 million upgrade package for four Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft that Argentina recently purchased through the Pentagon’s Excess Defense Articles programme. The possible Foreign Military Sale would include equipment and support services, such as four turboprop engines for each airframe, plus four turboprop engines as spares, the U.S. Defense Cooperation Agency says in a notification on 19 December. The notice did not disclose the aircraft’s new engine type, though typically the P-3C is powered by Rolls-Royce T56-A-14 turboprops, according to Lockheed Martin. Buenos Aires’ defence minister Oscar Aguad announced the purchase of the aircraft from the U.S. government at a conference in September, according to Jane’s. The P-3C entered service in the 1960s with the U.S. Navy and is a land-based anti-submarine and anti-surface ship maritime patrol aircraft. It can be armed with AGM-84 Harpoon torpedoes, AGM-84E Standoff Land Attack Missiles, AGM-65F Maverick air-to-ground missiles, Mk54 lightweight torpedoes, rockets, sea mines, and depth charges, according to the USN. The P-3C is still used by the USN, but is being gradually retired and replaced by the larger Boeing P-8A Poseidon, which is based on the commercial 737-800ERX. The upgrade package for Argentina’s P-3Cs will include communications equipment, radar equipment, infrared and electro-optic equipment, aircraft depot maintenance equipment, spare parts, as well as logistical and other technical assistance, says the Defense Cooperation Agency. “This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a partner in South America,” says the agency. “Argentina’s existing P-3B patrol aircraft have reached the end of their operational service life. To maintain maritime security, Argentina acquired four [Excess Defense Article] P-3C aircraft to replace its older aircraft.” Crucially, Argentina’s southernmost point, the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, sits off the Drake Passage, an important route between the South Pacific and South Atlantic through which submarines pass as they traverse the globe. Monitoring underwater traffic through that area could be a vital mission for Argentina’s upgraded P-3Cs.

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