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Chile - P-3 Orion

Chile acquired eight Orions from US surplus inventories in 1992-94, according to the SIPRI arms transfers database. Four were kept for spares, and one was converted into a transport plane, leaving three for maritime patrol. Two of the three P-3 operated by Chile underwent major maintenance and modernization in New Zealand, including the integration of a new tactical system that includes synthetic aperture radar EL / M 2022 A new Israeli manufacturer ELTA and ELINT / ECM equipment.

In 2013 the Chilean Navy planned to reinforce Naval Aviation Command's capabilities with a life-extension program for P-3A Orion maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), and buying additional Airbus Military C295 Persuaders.

SISDEF was present at the 24th aircraft P3 international operators Conference Orion, held in the city of Atlanta USA, 24-27 October 2015. The confrence annually brings to the community of operators and companies related with the maintenance and modernization of these aircraft of Aeromaritime exploration. It provided the opportunity to the widest participation throughout its history, with representatives of more than 16 countries, allowing company executives meet and exchange operational experiences and technical with various specialists in the field of the defence.

A general Assembly, two subcommittees related to the platform and avionics of the P3, and a visit to the facilities of Lockheed Martin, among other activities, allowed display current programs of several navies and air forces of the world, technologies and systems available today to enhance operationally to these so characteristic high autonomy of flight aircraft and the most modern aircraft production lines of combat and transport. The SISDEF involvement in these activities, is part of the permanent interest of the company to meet the current demands of users.

On 13 August 2016 the Chilean navy announced it had dropped plans to replace existing P-3 patrol aircraft and instead would upgrade them with the hope of flying them another 17 years. Chile acquired the Orions from US inventory and three remain in active patrol service.

Lockheed Martin restarted the wing production line for the P-3 Orion Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) program for Canada and Chile on 04 March 2015. The P-3 wing line was last in production in August 2014. The gap in production extended the opportunities for global operators to assess their fleet needs. In addition to Canada and Chile, other MLU customers include U.S. Customs & Border Protection, the U.S. Navy and Norway.

“We are very excited about restarting the wing line here in Marietta and we are very proud of the partnership with Canada and Chile,” said Mark Jarvis, P-3 program director. “We look forward to building wings for the many P-3 operators across the globe.”

The MLU replaces the outer wings, center wing, horizontal stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer leading edges. All necessary fatigue life-limiting structures are replaced, leading to significantly reduced maintenance and sustainment costs. New alloys are employed that provide a five-fold increase in corrosion resistance.

The P-3 Orion plays a vital role in maritime intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, drug interdiction, hurricane hunting, fire-fighting and anti-submarine surveillance. Due to the MLU, it will support operators for 20-25 more years. “The P-3 Orion is the gold standard in maritime reconnaissance,” said Jarvis, “We are excited to keep this venerable workhorse flying for many years to come.”