Back to photostream

RAAF AP3-C Orion

A Royal Australian Air Force AP3-C Orion taxiing at RAAF Williamtown Base during joint Operation Diamond Shield.

 

Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

 

From the RAAF Website;

 

- "The AP-3C Orion is an extremely versatile aircraft capable of land and maritime surveillance, anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare, naval fleet support, and search and rescue operations.

 

The Orion aircraft first entered military service in 1968 as the P-3B model, with the P-3C variant first introduced in 1978. Following several modification projects the significantly upgraded AP-3C Orion (current) were introduced into service in 2002. The AP-3C is a significantly enhanced capability from the first P-3B model; now fitted with a variety of sensors, including digital multi-mode radar, electronic support measures, electro-optics detectors (infra-red and visual), magnetic anomaly detectors, friend or foe identification systems and acoustic detectors. Based at RAAF Base Edinburgh, in 2012 the AP-3C Orion ceased 10 years of operational service in the Middle East, completing 2,400 missions with more than 3,500 personnel deployed throughout the period.

7,797 views
50 faves
7 comments
Uploaded on April 4, 2017
Taken on March 21, 2017