After receiving the first unit in September of this year, the Argentine Navy plans to incorporate the second of its P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, acquired from Norway, in the first quarter of 2025.
According to recent statements by Vice Admiral Carlos María Allievi, Chief of the Argentine Navy General Staff, during an interview, the aircraft in question is expected to arrive in Argentina in March. It will join the Naval Exploration Squadron (EA6E), part of Naval Air Force No. 3, based at Almirante Zar Naval Air Base in Trelew, Chubut, alongside the already received P-3C, registered as 6-P-57.
This will be the second unit of a total of four acquired through an agreement signed with the Kingdom of Norway, specifically with the Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency (NDMA), in October 2023. Although the agreement initially anticipated prompt delivery after signing, delays arose due to difficulties in paying the first installment. These delays were compounded by subsequent negotiations to ensure the operability of the Raytheon AN/APS-137B(V)5 radars equipped on the P-3 Orions, which had not been initially accounted for.
The incorporation of the P-3C/N replaces the P-3B Orions that had been part of the Argentine Navy since the mid-1990s. These aircraft have been out of service for several years, with one unit currently at FAdeA facilities for repairs that have remained incomplete for nearly a decade.
Recently, as part of efforts to support the newly incorporated 6-P-57 and future Orion units, the Argentine Navy issued a tender through its European Logistics Mission for the “acquisition of a comprehensive door-to-door transportation service—land, sea, and land—of containers carrying spare parts, tools, equipment, and aeronautical fixtures related to the P-3C ORION aircraft from the ROYAL NORWEGIAN AIR FORCE (RNoAF) BASE in ANDØYA, Andøy Municipality, Nordland County (NORWAY), where they are currently located, to the ALMIRANTE ZAR NAVAL AIR BASE.”
These aircraft restore a crucial capability to the Naval Aviation Command for monitoring Argentine maritime spaces. Additionally, they fulfill responsibilities related to Search and Rescue (SAR), which the Argentine Navy is obligated to perform under the International Maritime Organization’s 1979 International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue. The aircraft also support operations alongside naval units of the Navy and allied countries, as demonstrated by the deployment of the P-3C 6-P-57 during the transit of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear submarine USS Hampton through Argentine waters.
Images used for illustrative purposes only.
You may also like: The Argentine Air Force prepares to soon receive its first F-16B MLU Block 10 fighter
