Just thought this would be an interesting topic:
Thoughts anyone?? What are they going to do with a third of the crews until the new aircraft are obtained?
[Aerospace Daily, Nov. 19, 2003]
The U.S. Navy plans to retire a third of its P-3 Orions early because the wear-and-tear on the aging patrol aircraft is turning out to be worse than expected, a service official said Nov. 18.
In the past few months, the Navy has discovered "significant fatigue problems" in its P-3 fleet, prompting the service to decide to reduce the number of aircraft from 227 to 150 with the next year or two, said Capt. Steve Eastburg, manager of maritime patrol aircraft at Naval Air Systems Command.
Orions that remain in service will undergo repairs, a process that already has begun with the use of war-related funds from supplemental appropriations legislation, Eastburg said. He spoke at the Defense News Media Group's ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Integration 2003 conference. Operational P-3s with the most fatigue will undergo structural improvements, such as the replacement of wing panels.
Some P-3s have flown for more than 20,000 hours, more than double their expected service life, Eastburg said. Still, Navy officials were surprised by the results of recent fatigue tests on the P-3. P-3 fatigue has "become quite an issue," Eastburg said.
The Navy concluded that retaining 150 Orions would leave it with enough capability while staying within funding constraints, he said.
The P-3's troubles appear to have boosted the case for its planned replacement, the Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA). Eastburg said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark recently approved a significant budget increase for the MMA, which will help ensure that the program can begin its system development and demonstration (SDD) phase in May 2004 as planned. The MMA "is a very solid program," Eastburg said.
The Navy plans to buy about 108 MMAs, which will be complemented by 50 Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial vehicles. The MMA is slated to begin flight-testing in fiscal 2009 and achieve an initial operational capability (IOC) in FY '13. Technology that is ready by FY '07 likely will make it into the baseline MMA, Eastburg said.
Boeing and Lockheed Martin are competing to be the MMA's prime contractor, with formal submissions due Dec. 29. Boeing is proposing a modified 737, while Lockheed Martin is offering an updated version of the P-3. Eastburg said he is impressed with both contenders so far.
"We're very excited about both of these offers," he said.
Thoughts anyone?? What are they going to do with a third of the crews until the new aircraft are obtained?
[Aerospace Daily, Nov. 19, 2003]
The U.S. Navy plans to retire a third of its P-3 Orions early because the wear-and-tear on the aging patrol aircraft is turning out to be worse than expected, a service official said Nov. 18.
In the past few months, the Navy has discovered "significant fatigue problems" in its P-3 fleet, prompting the service to decide to reduce the number of aircraft from 227 to 150 with the next year or two, said Capt. Steve Eastburg, manager of maritime patrol aircraft at Naval Air Systems Command.
Orions that remain in service will undergo repairs, a process that already has begun with the use of war-related funds from supplemental appropriations legislation, Eastburg said. He spoke at the Defense News Media Group's ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) Integration 2003 conference. Operational P-3s with the most fatigue will undergo structural improvements, such as the replacement of wing panels.
Some P-3s have flown for more than 20,000 hours, more than double their expected service life, Eastburg said. Still, Navy officials were surprised by the results of recent fatigue tests on the P-3. P-3 fatigue has "become quite an issue," Eastburg said.
The Navy concluded that retaining 150 Orions would leave it with enough capability while staying within funding constraints, he said.
The P-3's troubles appear to have boosted the case for its planned replacement, the Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (MMA). Eastburg said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark recently approved a significant budget increase for the MMA, which will help ensure that the program can begin its system development and demonstration (SDD) phase in May 2004 as planned. The MMA "is a very solid program," Eastburg said.
The Navy plans to buy about 108 MMAs, which will be complemented by 50 Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aerial vehicles. The MMA is slated to begin flight-testing in fiscal 2009 and achieve an initial operational capability (IOC) in FY '13. Technology that is ready by FY '07 likely will make it into the baseline MMA, Eastburg said.
Boeing and Lockheed Martin are competing to be the MMA's prime contractor, with formal submissions due Dec. 29. Boeing is proposing a modified 737, while Lockheed Martin is offering an updated version of the P-3. Eastburg said he is impressed with both contenders so far.
"We're very excited about both of these offers," he said.
