(Australia)First Pass Approval For Orion [P-3C] Replacement

I am pleased to announce that the Government has given first pass approval for AIR 7000 Phase 2 – a $4 billion project for Defence to acquire a manned Maritime Patrol and Response Aircraft (MPRA).

The manned MPRA, in conjunction with the Multi-mission Unmanned Aerial System being acquired by Defence under AIR 7000 Phase 1, will replace the capability currently provided by the AP-3C Orion.

The AP-3C Orion is planned to be retired in 2018 after over 30 years of service.

First pass approval has been granted to allow Defence to commence formal negotiations with the United States Navy (USN) to participate in the cooperative development of the P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA).

Following an exhaustive examination of available options, the USN chose the Boeing Company to develop the P-8A MMA based on its 737 commercial aircraft. The P-8A MMA offers a modern, highly reliable commercially-proven airframe with the latest maritime surveillance and attack capabilities.

The P-8A will be equipped with modern Anti-Submarine Warfare, Anti-Surface Warfare and Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance sensors that have evolved from proven systems. The P-8A will be capable of broad-area, maritime, littoral and limited overland operations.

Through its participation in the proposed cooperative development of the MMA, Defence will assist in providing opportunities for Australian industry as well as gain an ability to positively influence development of the MMA Program.

In my Navy days we worked with P3s when they were quite new. I was a sonar man, and we were just learning how destroyers and P3s could work together given the different thrusts of their missions.

My son started flying P3s just under a couple years ago. During his commitment they will be phasing in the 737s.

The P3 is a venerable craft but on it's last landing wheels these days. As Leon Uris had one of his characters say of the gooney birds in Armageddon, "I hate to see it lose it's dignity."

One of, perhaps THE great museum of avaition is at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. They surely can get a P3 properly spiffed up for a display thereabouts.

Just wanted to thank you for this thread, and the work that you do to keep us informed.

This country lost one of the finest most dedicated former Naval Aviators on July 8, 2007.

Very few would recognize his name, as almost all of his work was black opps.

He was a VQ-2 plank owner, and loved the Navy almost as much as his family.

He had a wonderful military funereal, but one of the two highlights was that one of our boys, who is a Navy officer was able to pull some strings and for a brief moment be a part of the Honor Guard. It took a tremendous amount of strength and courage, but he presented me with the Flag on behalf of the President and the country.

After all of these years my wonderful husband of almost fifty years was honored for his service to our country.

My brother in law AND his father both spent 20+ year Navy careers as EP3 aircrew.

When I joined the Navy, I wanted to be a sonar tech, as it looked interesting from watching some of the movies of my youth. I never heard of P3s, and if I had, such possibilities would never have made it to my radar screen. That's unfortunate.

My son joined the Navy with one all consuming ambition...to fly jets. He didn't qualify for them, but it wouldn't have mattered if he had. In his class they had only two pilots qualify for jets, and neither was so assigned. The Navy simply didn't need them in that capacity.

As he was getting started they had a need for P3 pilots, so off he went to that school. He has been excited about the job since he started. He told me that something like 75% of his job is similar to any job i.e. it requires self motivation to get into it. He also says that about 25% of the job is as good as it gets.

As I watch from afar, it strikes me that P3s may be the best Navy job about. I have visited him in two of his assignments so far. I have talked to people with whom he works, from COs and XOs, to pilots to mechanics that work on the planes. I have only briefly had the opportunity to visit with one of the P3 crew, but hope to have a better shot at it when we go to see him in October. I probably drive my son crazy because I'm generally interested in whence these people come, what brought them to their current job, and how do they like it? I follow the same path when I meet current Navy people when I go to reunions.

I've been favorably impressed with everyone I have met so far. As human nature really hasn't changed all that much in that last 35 years, I s'pect the Navy still has its share of misfits, I just haven't met any in my visits.

I was more than a little lucky in my Navy efforts. I was put with a fine ship and an excellent crew. We went places, all the time, which makes it interesting for a young single guy. Nevertheless, it's a rough life for families.

It appears to me that the P3 folks still face the deployments and all that goes with it. It appears that when they are at home, they have a more stable environment. The thing of it is, is for these people that that fill a P3 billet, it seems like the actual job can be beyond fascinating.

Now, as they start to phase in the new equipment, it should get even better.

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