Final Flight of The P3-Orion

I spent a lot of time on these birds, a long time ago. Sad to see them replaced, really, but it is time.

www.navy.mil...

The Patrol Squadron (VP) 26 "Tridents," based out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, are currently conducting missions in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. This is the Navy's final active duty deployment of the P-3C Orion aircraft from the East Coast.

The Navy is in the process of replacing the decades-old Lockheed Martin P-3C turbo-prop aircraft with the new multi-mission maritime aircraft P-8A Poseidon, a modified Boeing 737-800ERX.

Historic events aren't new to the Tridents. VP-26 was the Navy's first operational P-3 squadron when they received the first production of the P-3B, which replaced the P2-V Neptune in January 1966. Then, in 1979, VP-26 transitioned to the P-3C aircraft used today.

"It's incredible and it means being a part of history," said Lt. Cory Solis, tactical coordinator assigned to VP-26. "The plane has been a fighting force for the Navy for so long and we're still able to employ it. We can still count on her to get up in the air and be vital part of something like what we are doing now in the Middle East."

I find it amazing that they kept these 40 and 50 year old air frames going--same with the B-52, but the BUFF is slated to stay in service much longer.

This is the sonar operators station.

AW's playing with sonobouys.

Still got the P-3's out of the West Coast. They aren't going away just yet.

originally posted by: KewlDaddyFatty
AW's playing with sonobouys.

Still got the P-3's out of the West Coast. They aren't going away just yet.

Last deployment though. End of an era.

Listening to Middle Eastern communications on your headset.
a reply to: IanFleming

originally posted by: starswift
Listening to Middle Eastern communications on your headset.
a reply to: IanFleming

Listing to random HF singles were "interesting."

Last flight.....except for flights by any of the the dozens of other operators of them of course......

Have the technical specifications for the "MAD boom" used to detect submarines been declassified?
Shouldn't they be using gravimetric monitoring by now?
The way they monitor whales?
I know they declassified the Star Trek material transparent-aluminum.

originally posted by: IanFleming
I spent a lot of time on these birds, a long time ago. Sad to see them replaced, really, but it is time.

www.navy.mil...

The Patrol Squadron (VP) 26 "Tridents," based out of Naval Air Station Jacksonville, are currently conducting missions in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. This is the Navy's final active duty deployment of the P-3C Orion aircraft from the East Coast.

The Navy is in the process of replacing the decades-old Lockheed Martin P-3C turbo-prop aircraft with the new multi-mission maritime aircraft P-8A Poseidon, a modified Boeing 737-800ERX.

Historic events aren't new to the Tridents. VP-26 was the Navy's first operational P-3 squadron when they received the first production of the P-3B, which replaced the P2-V Neptune in January 1966. Then, in 1979, VP-26 transitioned to the P-3C aircraft used today.

"It's incredible and it means being a part of history," said Lt. Cory Solis, tactical coordinator assigned to VP-26. "The plane has been a fighting force for the Navy for so long and we're still able to employ it. We can still count on her to get up in the air and be vital part of something like what we are doing now in the Middle East."

I find it amazing that they kept these 40 and 50 year old air frames going--same with the B-52, but the BUFF is slated to stay in service much longer.

This is the sonar operators station.

Nothing like a day of pylon turns...