Lockheed restarts P-3 Orion wing production line
Lockheed Martin restarted the wing production line for the Canadian and Chilean P-3 Orion Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) programme on 4 March.
The wing line for the P-3 Orion aircraft was last in production in August 2014. According to the company, the gap in production extended the opportunities for global operators to assess their fleet needs.
The MLU programme will see the replacement of the centre wing, outer wings, horizontal stabiliser and the leading edges of the horizontal stabiliser. All the necessary fatigue life-limiting structures will be replaced for lower sustainment and maintenance costs. New alloys will be used to provide five times greater corrosion resistance.
The P-3 Orion aircraft is used for maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, drug interdiction, hurricane hunting, fire-fighting and anti-submarine surveillance. The MLU will see it operational for 20-25 more years. The US Navy, Norway and the US Customs and Border Protection are other operators of this aircraft.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![UK targets late 2020s for Type 45 ballistic missile defence]()
UK targets late 2020s for Type 45 ballistic missile defence
Upgrades to UK RN Type 45 destroyers are designed to counter the increased threat anti-ship ballistic cruise missiles pose to Carrier Strike Groups and the wider fleet.
-
![Tiger Shark torpedo ready for production in South Korea]()
Tiger Shark torpedo ready for production in South Korea
After a delay in the Tiger Shark programme, South Korean submarines will soon be armed with a new type of heavyweight torpedo manufactured in-country — and manufacturer LIG Nex1 may also target the export market.
-
![Danish Harpoon missiles could ease Black Sea coast pressure on Ukraine]()
Danish Harpoon missiles could ease Black Sea coast pressure on Ukraine
The supply of the missiles could help Ukraine alleviate pressure on its Black Sea coast, which has effectively been under blockade by the Russian Navy since the beginning of the invasion.
-
![BAE Systems: Australian Hunters are ‘progressing very well’]()
BAE Systems: Australian Hunters are ‘progressing very well’
Flurries of criticism about Australia's future frigates have been growing in intensity, but BAE Systems has come out of its corner to counter the narrative.
-
![Sweden buys new lightweight torpedo launchers]()
Sweden buys new lightweight torpedo launchers
New launchers for lightweight torpedos will replace legacy systems aboard Swedish corvettes.
-
![Austal launches future USS Augusta]()
Austal launches future USS Augusta
Sea trials of the latest Independence-variant LCS are scheduled for late 2022, even as the USN proposes to confine the vessels to mine countermeasure missions.
