Brazil’s P-3 Orion modernisation programme complete
The last of nine P-3 Orion anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to be upgraded for the Brazilian Air Force by Airbus Defence and Space (D&S) has been delivered to the customer in Salvador de Bahía, Brazil, where it will be based.
Airbus D&S has modernised the nine aircraft with new systems and avionics. Improvement include the installation of the Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) and a new suite of mission sensors, communications systems and cockpit avionics. Aircraft engines and structures were also updated, extending the fleet´s operational life.
Brazil acquired the P-3 Orion aircraft in 2006 from the US Navy, along with three more to be dismantled for spares. The new fleet will give the Brazilian Air Force advanced capabilities, including anti-submarine, maritime patrol, search and rescue, and economic exclusion zone enforcement.
Antonio Rodríguez Barberán, head of commercial for military aircraft, Airbus D&S, said: ‘This has been a large and complex programme and we are very proud of the work done in upgrading the Brazilian P-3 fleet. The FAB now has one of the most modern fleets in its class.’
More from Naval Warfare
-
![US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits]()
US weighs offshore warship production due to industrial limits
A Pentagon push to procure warships from Japanese and South Korean shipyards could reshape allied naval industrial strategy, but critics warn the approach risks hollowing out the domestic base Washington is seeking to restore.
-
![Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA]()
Lessons shaping the next phase of Arleigh Burke production post-Flight IIA
The accelerated delivery of the final Flight IIA destroyer, USS Patrick Gallagher, showcases the payoff of years of workforce investment and process reform at Bath Iron Works, with the lessons feeding into Flight III production.
-
![Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development]()
Ukraine war drives ‘minimum deployable capability’ doctrine in uncrewed systems development
Ukraine’s battlefield has rewritten the rules of uncrewed systems development. For Syos Aerospace, real-time operator feedback, lean serial production and a system-of-systems philosophy are central to its operating model.
-
![Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies]()
Sealift shortfalls set to drive opportunities across NATO navies
A new Council on Geostrategy primer warns that NATO cannot defend its own supply lines. As the alliance faces a sealift and logistics escort deficit, a wave of unawarded procurement is beginning to take shape.
-
![AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise]()
AUKUS advance on UUVs contrasts with Virginia-class compromise
The AUKUS partnership is accelerating uncrewed undersea capability while its submarine arm inches forward, and Australia’s decision to settle for three in-service Virginia-class boats raises questions about industrial risk, dependency and whether Pillar II may deliver meaningful capability long before Pillar I can.
