Newest P-3C Sees Through Clouds and in the Dark
By JOC Tim Adams
NAVEUR NEWS SERVICE (37-98)
15 October 1998
NAPLES, Italy (NWSA) -- Patrol Squadron (VP) FIVE at NAS
Sigonella, Sicily, recently received the first P-3C Orion
aircraft refitted with upgrades for day or night surveillance
and Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) capability.
The package, called the Antisurface Warfare Improvement
Program (AIP), also includes a new suite of sensor,
communications and self-defense equipment.
A new Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) enables the aircrew to
see through cloud cover or camouflage netting with startling
clarity. For surveillance purposes, its camera quality imagery
can be downlinked in real-time and be available instantly on
any battlefield commander's desktop computer.
"Now we have an aircraft that's able to do the job during
bad weather and at night, and when you have that ability,
everybody wants to use you," said CDR Ken Deutsch, Commander,
Task Force (CTF) 67 operations officer.
"The P-3 has always been a true all weather ASW aircraft,"
said Capt. Lawrence Cotton, CTF-67 Chief of Staff, after
viewing the new AIP model. "Now it's truly also an all weather
surveillance platform. We did not compromise or lose any old
abilities, we still have those plus more tools in the toolbox
-- mines, torpedoes, harpoon cruise missiles, bombs, Maverick,
depth charges, sonobuoys and now SLAM."
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