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P-3C Orion (White/Grey)
SKU: NC10312
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or "MAD Boom", used for the magnetic detection of submarines.
Delivery 7 to 10 days
Product Description
Code: NC10312
This collectable model represents the P-3C Orion,the Navy’s standard maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Painstakingly built from Philippine mahogany by skilled craftsmen using a wealth of detail, this 1/85-scale model P-3C Orion makes a great gift for any pilot, naval aviator, aviation enthusiast or history buff.
In February 1959, the United States Navy awarded Lockheed a contract to develop a replacement for the aging P2V Neptune. The P-3 Orion, initially designated P3V, was based on Lockheed's successful L-188 Electra airliner and had its maiden flight on November 1959. Service deliveries of the P-3 began in in 1962, and the aircraft is still in front-line use. Over the years, more than 40 combatant and noncombatant variants of the P-3 have been developed due to its proven reliability.
The P-3 is 116 feet long, with a wingspan of 99 feet. With a range of almost 5,000 miles, it is capable of very long patrols, and can carry a variety of weapons. The P-3 has an internal bomb bay under the front fuselage which can house conventional Mark 50 torpedoes or Mark 46 torpedoes or nuclear weapons. Additional underwing stations, or pylons, can carry other armament configurations including the AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-84E SLAM, AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER, the AGM-65 Maverick, 5-inch Zuni rockets, and various other sea mines, missiles, and gravity bombs.
The first production version, designated P3V-1, first flew 15 April 1961. Initial squadron deliveries to Patrol Squadron EIGHT (VP-8) and Patrol Squadron FORTY FOUR (VP-44) at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland began in August 1962. On 18 September 1962, the U.S. military transitioned to a unified designation system for all services, redesignating the aircraft as the P-3A. Paint schemes have changed from an early 1960s blue and white scheme, to a mid-1960s white and gray, to a mid-1990s flat finish low visibility gray with subdued markings to an early 2000s gloss finish gray with full color markings.
Over the years, more than 40 combatant & noncombatant variants of the P-3 have been developed due to the rugged reliability displayed by the platform flying 12 hour plus missions 200 ft (61 m) over salt water while maintaining an excellent safety record. Versions have been developed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for research and hurricane hunting/hurricane wall busting, for the U.S. Customs Service (now U.S. Customs and Border Protection) for drug interdiction and aerial surveillance mission with a rotodome adapted from the E-2 Hawkeye or an AN/APG-66 radar adapted from the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and for NASA for research and development.
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