ℹ️ ➖➖➖ 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 distinguished from the Electra by its distinctive tail stinger or "MAD Boom", used for the magnetic detection of submarines.
The P-3 has an internal bomb bay under the front fuselage which can house conventional Mark 50 torpedoes or Mark 46 torpedoes and/or special (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, 127 millimetres (5.0 in) Zuni rockets, and various other sea mines, missiles, and gravity bombs. The P-3 is equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) in the extended tail. This instrument is able to detect the magnetic anomaly of a submarine in the Earth's magnetic field. The limited range of this instrument requires the aircraft to be near the submarine at a low altitude.
📑 ➖➖➖ Five aircraft originally of P-3B standard but subsequently updated, delivered to New Zealand in 1965–67, replacing Short Sunderlands. The original P-3B aircraft were operated by No. 5 Squadron RNZAF from Whenuapai, Auckland. These received part of the P-3C Update II package and some local innovations, then being designated P-3K (for Kiwi), together with a P-3B purchased second hand from the Royal Australian Air Force and brought up to P-3K standard. In 2005, the first of the six P-3K Orions began being upgraded to the new P-3K2 standard, modernising the avionics and mission systems. On 2 May 2011, the RNZAF accepted the first upgraded P-3K2 Orion from the Ministry of Defence. The aircraft is due to undergo a period of Operational Testing and Evaluation (OT&E) before commencing active use. The Government announced in October 2020 its decision to again deploy a P-3K2 Orion long-range maritime patrol aircraft to support the implementation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea. This was New Zealand’s third deployment of a P-3K2 following previous deployments during October- November 2019 and in September-October 2018.

▪️🛠 Manufacturer Lockheed
Lockheed Martin
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
▪️✅ Introduction August 1962
▪️👤 Crew: 11
▪️📏Length: 116 ft 10 in (35.61 m)
▪️↔️ Wingspan: 99 ft 8 in (30.38 m)
▪️↕️ Height: 33 ft 8.5 in (10.274 m)
▪️⚙️ Powerplant: 4 × Allison T56-A-14 turboprop engines, 4,910 shp (3,660 kW) each (equivalent)
▪️🛢Fuel capacity: 9,200 US gal (7,700 imp gal; 35,000 l) usable fuel in 5 wing and fuselage tanks ; (62,500 lb (28,350 kg) maximum fuel weight) ; 111 US gal (92 imp gal; 420 l) usable oil in 4 tanks
▪️⏭ Maximum speed: 411 kn (473 mph, 761 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,572 m) and 105,000 lb (47,627 kg)
▪️⏩ Cruise speed: 328 kn (377 mph, 607 km/h) at 25,000 ft (7,620 m) and 110,000 lb (49,895 kg)
Patrol speed: 206 kn (237 mph; 382 km/h) at 1,500 ft (457 m) and 110,000 lb (49,895 kg)
▪️⏩ Stall speed: 133 kn (153 mph, 246 km/h) flaps up
112 kn (129 mph; 207 km/h) flaps down
▪️🔁 Combat range: 1,345 nmi (1,548 mi, 2,491 km) (3 hours on station at 1,500 ft (457 m))
▪️🔁 Ferry range: 4,830 nmi (5,560 mi, 8,950 km)
Endurance: 17 hours 12 minutes at 15,000 ft (4,572 m) on two engines
12 hours 20 minutes at 15,000 ft (4,572 m) on four engines
▪️⬆️ Service ceiling: 28,300 ft (8,600 m)
19,000 ft (5,791 m) one engine inoperative (OEI)
▪️⏫ Rate of climb: 1,950 ft/min (9.9 m/s)
Wing loading: 103.8 lb/sq ft (507 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.1455 hp/lb (0.2392 kW/kg) (equivalent)
▪️ 🛫 Take-off run: 4,240 ft (1,292 m)
Take-off distance to 50 ft (15 m): 5,490 ft (1,673 m)
▪️ 🛬 Landing distance from 50 ft (15 m): 2,770 ft (844 m)
▪️⚔️ Armament:
Air-to-surface missile:4× AGM-65 Maverick,6× AGM-84 Harpoon,4× AGM-84 Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM-ER)
Bombs:
Depth charges, Mk 101 Lulu nuclear depth bomb,10× MK20 Rockeye, MK80 Series (18× MK82, MK83, MK84) general-purpose bombs, B57 nuclear bomb (US service only, retired 1993)
Other:
Mk 44 (mostly retired from service),8× Mk 46, 6× Mk 50,7× Mk 54 or MU90 Impact torpedoes
Mk 25, Mk 39, Mk 55,7× Mk 56, Mk 60 CAPTOR or 6× Mk 65 or 18× mk 62 or 11×mk 63 Quickstrike naval mines
▪️📡 Avionics
RADAR: Raytheon AN/APS-115 Maritime Surveillance Radar, AN/APS-137D(V)5 Inverse Synthetic Aperture Search Radar
IFF: APX-72, APX-76, APX-118/123 Interrogation Friend or Foe (IFF)
EO/IR: ASX-4 Advanced Imaging Multispectral Sensor (AIMS), ASX-6 Multi-Mode Imaging System (MMIS)
ESM: ALR-66 Radar Warning Receiver, ALR-95(V)2 Specific Emitter Identification/Threat Warning
Hazeltine Corporation AN/ARR-78(V) sonobuoy receiving system
Fighting Electronics Inc AN/ARR-72 sonobuoy receiver
IBM Proteus UYS-1 acoustic processor
AQA-7 directional acoustic frequency analysis and recording sonobuoy indicators
AQH-4 (V) sonar tape recorder
ASQ-81 magnetic anomaly detector (MAD)
ASA-65 magnetic compensator
Lockheed Martin AN/ALQ-78(V) electronic surveillance receiver.

Ref: Wikipedia.