Spain withdraws the last P-3 Orion from the Air Force

Through a statement issued by the Air Force and Space Agency, Spain has withdrawn its last P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. The incident took place recently, according to what the force reported, on December 19.

in this way, The farewell ceremony for the P-3 Orion of the Spanish Air Force took place at Morón Air Basein Seville. The event marked the conclusion of a chapter in the history of military aviation in Spain, where aircraft have served the armed forces for 50 years and 83,000 flying hours.

of the Air Force indicated that “The P-3 flew over the air base I served from for the last time, with two escorts Eurofighter From Wing 11. As it landed, it was greeted with an arc of water formed by the jets launched from the unit’s two fire trucks, as is customary when launching an aircraft“.

With this in mind, every end has a beginning. This dates back to the 1970’s when Spain reached agreements with the United States to acquire the P-3 Orion. With this background, the Air Force began integrating its first three aircraft in 1973 with the goal of replacing the Grumman Albatros. Another batch consisting of four aircraft in release Orion Daly They were received in 1979. Since then they have served within Moron Air Force Base’s Eleventh Wing on maritime surveillance and patrol duties, search and rescue missions, and anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare missions.

But, The P-3 Orion is being withdrawn from the Air Force with no identified replacement yet. Currently, the Spanish Ministry of Defense is in talks with Airbus to formalize the acquisition of a replacement. This could materialize into a C295 version dedicated to MPA/ASW missions (called copy Persuade).

Based on various means, the Directorate General of Armaments and Materials (DGAM) and the Air Force are advancing the realization of this replacement for 2023; Expected investment of 170 million euros for the project. However, the loss of the Spanish P-3 Orion means that Spain has reduced its naval surveillance and patrol capabilities for the time being.

*Photos of the P-3 Orion: Spanish Air Force and Space.

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