Brazilian Minister Views first P-3 Orion Modernised by Airbus Military

Defense Talk ^ | 12/7/2010 | Defense Talk

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The first P-3 Orion aircraft modified by Airbus Military for the Brazilian Air Force was inspected today by Brazilian Minister of Defence, Nelson Jobim, during his official visit to Spain.

The aircraft is the first of a fleet of nine which will undergo a complete systems modernization programme, including the installation of Airbus Military´s Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS).

As well as FITS, the aircraft will benefit from a powerful new suite of mission sensors, communications systems, and upgraded cockpit avionics. The engines are being updated and, depending on the condition of each individual aircraft, the structures are being renovated to permit many more years of effective operation.

The Brazilian Air Force will use the aircraft for maritime patrol, anti-submarine warfare, and a range of civic missions including economic exclusion zone enforcement and search and rescue

[grobdriver]

Who would have thought the Brazilian Air Force is smarter than the US Navy.

[spetznaz]

Anti-submarine warfare will become more and more important going ahead, particularly as nations get increased numbers of increasingly capable and sophisticated submarines. Already the latest D-E submarines feature highly advanced combat suites, finely honed acoustics that make them next to impossible to locate in littoral waters (by some accounts, a good crew in say a Scorpene or a U-212 that doesn't want to be found would not be found in the littoral area), and AIP powerplants that significantly boost underwater endurance. Now some, like the German U-212/214 with its IDAS, have missile systems that can target aircraft (like the SONAR-buoy dipping helicopters that use active SONAR to try and nab submarines). Before the aircraft had a strong advantage - now it is not as simple. Other submarines feature anti-ship missiles that can make life on the surface Gehenna for almost any ship (missiles like the Russian KLUB family, in particular the version that has the high-supersonic terminal stage, are a capable weapon that, when incorporated to a stealthy D-E AIP sub manned by good crew, can be quite the problem).

Even without the best of crews, as long as the boat is considered expendable (which for some is ok, particularly if the target of the boat is a ship like an Arleigh Burke, where the cost-to-target ratio is acceptable) they can still release their payload.

After the Cold War anti-submarine activities were put on the backburner. The Soviet armada was dead (and rusting), the Chinese boats were useless tin-cans that were noiser than 60s era Soviet boats, and anyone else with a real submarine fleet tended to be an ally. Now there is a proliferation of good to great D-E designs, with some (like the fuel cell German boats) being truly good and quieter than any submarine. The numbers have also gone up, with China expected to have more submarines than the US in the next 5-7 years (though nowhere as good as what the US has). All the same, anti-submarine just became 'important' again.