This Monday at 18:20 the first of the four P-3C Orion aircraft that the country acquired after several years of negotiations landed in Trelew. They were acquired from the Norwegian Navy and will serve to strengthen the patrols of the Argentine Navy in the South Atlantic.
This is a four-engine turboprop aircraft registered 6-P-57 that departed from Keystone Heights Airport, Florida , where it was commissioned. The acquisition was made through the National Public Investment Project, with the aim of “Improving the operational and logistical capabilities of the search and exploration aircraft of the Naval Aviation Command.”
This first P3-C Orion, whose registration is 163299, will be re-registered nationally as 6-P-57 , and its seat will be in the current Naval Exploration Squadron belonging to the 3rd Naval Force.
The reception ceremony will take place in mid-September at the Aeroparque Military Air Base in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, and will be presided over by the Minister of Defense , Luis Alfonso Petri , accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff of the Navy, Vice Admiral Carlos María Allievi . Likewise, the participation of the Ambassadors of the Kingdom of Norway and the United States of America in the Argentine Republic is expected; ministerial authorities of the Kingdom of Norway; and the Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, among other authorities and special guests.
The P-3 Orion version C exploration aircraft provides long-range exploration capabilities, as well as control and surveillance of maritime spaces and areas of national responsibility and interest.
It contributes to the fulfillment of the international obligations delegated by the National State to the Argentine Navy, by Law No. 22,445, as the Application Authority of the international convention on Maritime, River and Lake Search and Rescue (safeguarding human life at sea in the SAR responsibility zone of 16,200,000 km²), and on the adjacent maritime area, this commitment representing an important obligation and effort of presence of the Argentine Navy, in close coordination with other States due to our geographical location.
It also contributes to exercising, preserving and protecting Argentine sovereignty rights in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and over other maritime and river spaces under national jurisdiction, of vital importance in terms of the need to maintain a permanent presence that allows, in turn, to provide a strategic alert to the Nation for the purposes of exploration, exploitation, conservation and administration of natural resources, both living and non-living, and maritime communication lines, with special interest in focal areas of approach to our country.
The incorporation of this fixed-wing aircraft allows to maintain and increase the standards of air safety and training of the personnel of the Naval Exploration Squadron, in relation to Search and Rescue (SAR), exploration operations, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare, humanitarian aid, and support to the community in all types of scenarios.
At the same time, it responds to the training needs of the Integrated Naval Power and improves the capabilities of the aircraft-ship binomial, by extending the search beyond the horizon, increasing the probability of detection, reducing exploration times in maritime areas, and materializing the presence of the Argentine Navy in an area of high national interest such as Argentine Antarctica.
The four aircraft, three P-3Cs and one P-3N mobile logistics support aircraft, have been subject to a service life extension program called ASLEP (Aircraft Service Life Extension Program), which consists of the complete replacement of the wings, which allows them to have, on average, an individual remaining flight time of 17,000 hours, which represents a service life of at least 15 years. In addition, the purchase includes accessories and spare parts, test benches and aircraft components.
Features of aircraft
The Orion was developed in the late 1950s by the American company Lockheed Martin. It was conceived as a medium-weight anti-submarine warfare aircraft, with large, straight and extended wings for better flight performance at low altitude and speed.
It has a high, reinforced tricycle-shaped landing gear. It has four Allison T-56-A-14 turboprop engines (4,600 HP each), has a length of 35.57 meters, a height of 10.27 meters and a wingspan of 30.38 meters.
Its extensive range of 1,500 nautical miles (2,780 km), combined with its 12-hour flight time, allows it to cover the Argentine coastline, continental shelf and Antarctica without any problems, allowing it to remain in a given zone or area for long periods of time.
One of the main characteristics of this type of long-range exploration aircraft is its versatility and ability to carry out different missions, from patrolling and controlling maritime spaces and SAR searches, as well as anti-submarine flights.
Its ability to fly in all types of weather allows it to operate from any base or airport on the country's coastline, facilitating its presence in a given area in a relatively short period of time, which is essential for a SAR search.
Its ability to carry different search sensors, such as synthetic aperture radar, visual and infrared camera systems, acoustic processors for underwater detection, magnetic anomaly detector and automatic vessel identification system, associated with its multiple communications systems, allow the collection, processing and transmission of data in real time.
It also has a great capacity to carry a variety of elements used for search and rescue SAR such as flares, sea lines for shipwrecked people, as well as those necessary for anti-submarine and anti-surface action.
Sources:
Jornada newspaper
Argentina.gob.ar
