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from this 6 of September, un Lockheed P-3 Orion de U.S. Customs and Border Protection will start border control flights in Ecuador.
The plane belonging to US Customs and Border Protection – CBP, will arrive at the Simón Bolívar base Guayaquil airport to initiate tasks in conjunction with Ecuador.
This aircraft will operate for a period of no less than 3 months on reconnaissance and border protection flights. The flights will be controlled by the Ecuadorian authorities at all times and under no circumstances does it represent the installation of a foreign base in our country..
With initial base at Guayaquil Airport, it is not ruled out that it lands and operates in other airports on the Ecuadorian coast such as Esmeraldas, salt flats or Manta.
U.S.. Customs and Border Protection
CBP (for its acronym in English) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, and is the main border control organization in the country. Responsible for regulating and facilitating international trade, collect import duties and enforce US regulations. UU.
Among its functions, aerial control of the border of the United States and allied countries is highlighted, with the aim of blocking the entry of drug trafficking by sea or land.
Its aircraft fleet is made up of Marine Control (Bombardier DHC-8), Surveillance (Cessna 210, Cessna C-55, Super King Air, Lockheed P3 LRT, Pilate PC-12), AWACS (Lockheed P-3 AEW&C), helicopters (Bell UH-1, Sikorsky S-76, UH-60, Eurocopter AS350, EC120) y UAVs (General Atomics MQ-9).
El Lockheed P-3 Orion
The CBP has in its fleet two variants of the classic P-3 Orion, LRT and AEW&C, both versions very similar, that differ only in the additional equipment in the nose such as optical sensors.
These variants of the P-3 Orion is for the exclusive use of the U.S.. Customs and Border Protection for drug trafficking and security detection missions.
Characteristics
Its main feature is the radome or round antenna at the top of the plane.. This equipment is the one that allows, together with others, the detection of illicit activity at sea and on land.
The general characteristics of the P-3 Orion are as follows, although they can change in maximum speed, autonomy, avionics and others according to each of the variants:
General
- Crew: 11
- Length: 35.6 meters
- Wingspan: 30.4 meters
- Alto: 11.8 meters
- Useful load: 26,400 kg
- maximum takeoff weight: 64,400 kg
- engines: 4 × Allison T56-A-14 turboprop
- propellers: Four Hamilton Standard propellers, 1 per engine.
- Size: 4.11 meters
Performance
- Maximum speed: 750 km/h
- cruise speed: 610 km/h
- Rank: 4,400 km
- patrol range: 2,490 km o 3 hours.
- service ceiling: 8,625 meters
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)
- MARCH/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
- ASA-65 magnetic compensator
- Lockheed Martin AN/ALQ-78(V) electronic surveillance receiver
This aircraft will improve the control of entry and exit of drugs in Ecuador and will serve the Armed forces to know how this type of mission works until one of the Gulfstream planes of the FAE come into service for these same functions.
This will be the second time in history that this type of aircraft will operate in Ecuador., since during the FOL's stay at the Manta Base, Some of these specimens operated.
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Good Morning, Nicolas Larenas, excellent report about this aircraft, I hope that the FAE or the Naval Aviation acquires one of these aircraft to fulfill its tasks of fighting drug trafficking and maritime patrol, because it is necessary to modernize the aircraft fleet of the Armed Forces, since some aircraft currently in service such as the Lockheed C-130 are nearing the end of their useful life. My suggestion to contribute is, by cost-benefit, buy a fleet of 3 Lockheed P-3 aircraft, 2 for Naval Aviation and 1 for the FAE.
It would be very interesting. It seems to me that the FAE will implement surveillance systems like those of the P-3 in the Gulfstream.
Excellent! Hopefully it significantly favors the fight against drug trafficking. And the Lockheed Orion without a doubt a great aircraft developed from the iconic L-188 Electra that flew the Ecuadorian skies.