NAVY * AIRCRAFT

Sea Power,  Jan 2004  

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The Navy has shifted the P-3C's operational emphasis to the ocean littorals and is improving the antisurface warfare (ASUW) capabilities of the P-3C. The Antisurface Warfare Improvement Program (AIP)-now called Aircraft Improvement Program (AIP)-incorporates enhancements in ASUW, over-the-horizon targeting, command, control, communications, and intelligence, as well as survivability enhancements. The first production AIP aircraft was delivered in April 1998 and initially deployed with VP-9 in june 1998. The Advanced Imaging Multi-Spectral Sensor (AIMS), a cutting-edge electro-optic sensor system, was incorporated into the AIP modification line and delivered in September 1999. VP-26 received the first Early Limited Combat ID (ELClD) capability in September 2000. Integration of a Tactical Common Data Link (TCDL) wiring package has been addressed in recent production versions. The AIP program presently includes 69 kits on contract; 58 AIP aircraft had been delivered to the fleet as of September 2003. The current fleet requirement is to procure 146 AIP P-3C aircraft. AIP P-3C aircraft recently demonstrated their capabilities on the battlefield by successfully performing surveillance, long-range targeting, and SLAM weapons deliveries in support of battle group operations during Operation Allied Force in 1999, in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001, and over Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The AIP aircraft continue to be the fleet workhorse and remain on deployment in the Persian Gulf and Mediterranean theaters of operation.

The P-3C/EP-3E aircraft inventory will began to reach the end of its estimated fatigue life in 2003. The P-3C/EP-3E fleet has experienced significant material degradation over its operational life. The Navy expects to retire approximately 80 P-3Cs over the next two years because of structural fatigue.

The following programs have been initiated to address inventory sustainment:

Sustained Readiness Program (SRP): An operational service-life extension program pre-emptively replaced and refurbished components and systems that were degrading aircraft availability and readiness due to material condition. The initial SRP prototype aircraft was delivered to the fleet in june 1998 with 13 aircraft receiving the full SRP modification. The SRP Aircraft Recovery Program (SARP), the follow-on to SRP, modified 18 aircraft with similar modifications to increase aircraft material conditions. all 18 SARP-modified aircraft have been delivered to fleet squadrons as of August 2003.

Service Life Assessment Program (SLAP): Results of a FY 1999 SLAP will determine ultimate P-3 airframe life. As part of SLAP, a Full-Scale Fatigue Test (FSFT) was completed in Marietta, Ga., by December 2002. One of the purposes of the program was to identify the structural locations within the aircraft requiring inspection and further analysis in order to maintain the P-3C to its 100 percent test demonstrated service life or until the MMA program begins replacing aging P-3 aircraft with a selected alternative. Full SLAP teardown anddata analysis is scheduled to be complete by june 2004, but initial results have indicated the need for individual inspections and repairs to address specific fatigue issues. Special Structural Inspections (SSI) and Enhanced Special Structural Inspections (ESSI, includes material replacement) are the first step in mitigating the risks posed by this fatigue. The first two P-3s started SSI in August 2003.