Of the United States Navy's Arsenal

Abstract

The P-3 Orion has been part of the United States Navy’s arsenal for fifty years and still remains a vital role in todays Navy. This aging aircraft has out lived its structural airframe limit. With the increasing amount of aircraft needing structural rework do severe corrosion. The opportunity cost to maintain this aircraft has reached its plateau. The supply and demand of aircraft parts has reached an all time high. The current sustainment or repair of the P-3 Orion gives the United States government a realistic view that this aircraft has comes to its end and that P-3 Orion’s replacement is long over due.

P-3 Orion economic issues facing an aging aircraft

The P-3 Orion has been the Navy’s frontline, land-based maritime patrol aircraft since the 1960s. The most capable Orion version is the P-3C, first delivered to the Navy in 1969. The Navy has implemented a number of major improvements to the P-3C over the years. Even with these improvement the airframe of the P-3 Orion has been hit with years of stress and structural fatigue to include severe corrosion issues. The average age of the P-3 Orion is twenty-four years and has primarily been degraded by the effects of structural fatigue and its airframe and the obsolescence of communication, navigation and primary war fighting systems originally fitted into this aircraft mission capabilities.

With resources scarce and part availability shortages across all systems. Maintaining this aircraft has become a challenge over the last ten years for squadrons and repair facilities. Not only does the United States Navy have difficulties receiving parts the contractor’s that perform rework as well have shortages. Part availability has become the leading cause of aircraft not capable to perform its mission throughout the fleet. The squadrons currently flying the Orion have to overcome the shortfalls in supply assets and aircraft availability. Numerous countries also fly the P-3 Orion, making it one of the more prevalent Navy aircraft available for foreign military sales and support which make this one of the opportunity cost that the Navy faces. Money invested to upgrade outdated systems could be saved by foreign military sales. A contract was awarded to Boeing to increase aircraft life up to six years, which consist of repairing fatigued aircraft wings.

In addition to fleet-wide fatigue repairs, the navy is investing to replace the outer wing assemblies on at least 29 P-3Cs. The first 17 have already been ordered, with the service currently soliciting vendors for another 12, plus options for two more. Lockheed Martin Corp. in Marietta, GA receives a $135.5 million (daily, 2012) not-to-exceed unfinalized contract to buy 14 outer wing assembly kits for the Navy P-3C aircraft, including engineering analysis support; integrated logistics support