Editing Lockheed P-3 Orion (section)

==Operational history==

===United States===
[[File:P-3B DN-SC-82-02246.JPEG|thumb|A P-3B of [[VP-6]] near Hawaii]]
[[File:P-3C Orion2.jpg|thumb|A US P-3C Orion of [[VP-8]]]]
[[File:Two man replace a main landing gear tire of a plane.jpg|thumb|Changing a tire on a P-3C]]
[[File:20190401 P-3 Orion Tail 161593 Kadena AB-26.jpg|thumb|A P-3C on final approach at [[Kadena AB]] in 2019|alt=Side-view of a four-engine propeller aircraft in landing configuration.]]

Developed during the [[Cold War]], the P-3's primary mission was to localize [[Soviet Navy]] [[Ballistic missile submarine|ballistic missile]] and [[fast attack submarine]]s detected by [[SOSUS|undersea surveillance]] systems and eliminate them in the event of full-scale war.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Holler |first=Roger A. |date=5 November 2013 |title=The Evolution Of The Sonobuoy From World War II To The Cold War |journal= U.S. Navy Journal of Underwater Acoustics |pages=332–333 |url=https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a597432.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324114802/https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a597432.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=24 March 2020 |access-date=24 March 2020}}</ref><ref name=Whitman>{{cite magazine |last=Whitman |first=Edward C. |date=Winter 2005 |title=SOSUS The "Secret Weapon" of Undersea Surveillance |magazine=Undersea Warfare |volume=7 |issue=2 |url=https://www.public.navy.mil/subfor/underseawarfaremagazine/Issues/Archives/issue_25/sosus.htm |access-date=24 March 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200324114806/https://www.public.navy.mil/subfor/underseawarfaremagazine/Issues/Archives/issue_25/sosus.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> At its height, the U.S. Navy's P-3 community consisted of twenty-four active duty "Fleet" patrol squadrons home based at air stations in the states of Florida and Hawaii as well as bases which formerly had P-3 operations in Maryland, Maine, and California.

There were also thirteen Naval Reserve patrol squadrons identical to their active duty "Fleet" counterparts, said Reserve "Fleet" squadrons being based in Florida, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, Massachusetts (later relocated to Maine), Illinois, Tennessee, Louisiana, California and Washington. Two Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS), also called "RAG" squadrons (from the historic "Replacement Air Group" nomenclature) were located in California and Florida. The since-deactivated [[VP-31]] in California provided P-3 training for the Pacific Fleet, while [[VP-30]] in Florida performed the task for the Atlantic Fleet. These squadrons were also augmented by a test and evaluation squadron in Maryland, two additional test and evaluation units that were part of an air development center in Pennsylvania and a test center in California, an oceanographic development squadron in Maryland, and two active duty "special projects" units in Maine and Hawaii, the latter being slightly smaller than a typical squadron.

In [[fiscal year]] 1995, the U.S. Navy planned to reduce active-duty patrol squadrons from sixteen to thirteen—seven on the East Coast, six on the West.<ref>Peter Felsted, "Orion Hunts a Different Prey," [[Jane's Defence Weekly]], 12 November 1994, p25.</ref> The patrol squadrons planned to survive were VP-8, 10, 11, and 26 at [[NAS Brunswick]], Maine, and [[VP-5]], 16, and 45 at [[NAS Jacksonville]], Florida. The Pacific squadrons that were to be retained were VP-1, 4, 9, and 47 at Barbers' Point, Hawaii, and 40 and [[VP-46]] at [[NAS Whidbey Island]], Washington. Thus Patrol Squadrons 17, 23, 24, and 49 were to be disestablished, and the remaining units were to operate nine aircraft instead of eight, augmented by VP-30 and the nine-at-the-time USNR P-3 squadrons.

Reconnaissance missions in international waters led to occasions where Soviet fighters would "bump" a P-3, either operated by the U.S. Navy or other operators such as the [[Royal Norwegian Air Force]]. On 1 April 2001, [[Hainan Island incident|a midair collision]] between a United States Navy EP-3E ARIES II signals surveillance aircraft and a [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] [[Shenyang J-8|J-8II]] jet fighter-interceptor resulted in an international dispute between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China (PRC).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126584&page=1 |title='Born to Fly,' by Lt. Shane Osborn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110129141835/https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=126584&page=1 |archive-date=29 January 2011 |website=abcnews.go.com |date=6 January 2006 |access-date=28 July 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

More than 40 P-3 variants have demonstrated the type's rugged reliability, commonly flying 12-hour plus missions {{convert|200|ft|m|abbr=on}} over water.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}} Versions were developed for the [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] (NOAA) for research and hurricane hunting/hurricane wall busting, for the [[U.S. Customs Service]] (now [[U.S. Customs and Border Protection]]) for drug interdiction and aerial surveillance mission with a rotodome adapted from the [[Grumman E-2 Hawkeye]] or an [[AN/APG-66]] radar adapted from the [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon]], and for [[NASA]] for research and development.

The U.S. Navy remains the largest P-3 operator, currently distributed between a single fleet replacement (i.e., "training") patrol squadron in Florida (VP-30), 12 active duty patrol squadrons distributed between bases in Florida, Washington and Hawaii, two [[United States Navy Reserve|Navy Reserve]] patrol squadrons in Florida and Washington, one [[active duty]] special projects patrol squadron (VPU-2) in Hawaii, and two active duty test and evaluation squadrons.{{nu|date=April 2024}} One additional active duty fleet reconnaissance squadron (VQ-1) operates the [[EP-3 Aries]] [[signals intelligence]] (SIGINT) variant at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington.

In January 2011, the U.S. Navy revealed that P-3s have been used to hunt down "third generation" [[narco-submarine]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://defensetech.org/2011/01/14/p-3-subhunters-pressed-into-service-to-find-narco-subs/ |title=P-3 Subhunters Using ASW Gear to Find Narco-Subs? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110119025007/http://defensetech.org/2011/01/14/p-3-subhunters-pressed-into-service-to-find-narco-subs/ |archive-date=19 January 2011 |newspaper=defensetech.org |date=14 January 2011 |access-date=25 January 2011 |url-status=usurped}}</ref> This is significant because as recently as July 2009, fully submersible submarines have been used in smuggling operations.<ref>Page, Lewis. [https://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/06/true_sub_captured_from_drug_smugglers/ "First true submarine captured from American drug smugglers."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105220635/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/06/true_sub_captured_from_drug_smugglers/ |date=5 November 2010 }} ''The Register,'' 6 July 2010. Retrieved: 25 January 2011.</ref> As of November 2013, the US Navy began phasing out the P-3 in favor of the newer and more advanced Boeing P-8 Poseidon.

In May 2020, [[VP-40 (1951-present)|Patrol Squadron 40]] completed the transition to the P-8, marking the retirement of the P-3C from U.S. Navy active duty service. The last of the active-duty P-3Cs, aircraft 162776, was also delivered to the [[National Museum of Naval Aviation|Naval Aviation Museum]] in [[Pensacola, Florida]]. Two Navy Reserve squadrons, [[Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 30]] and One Active duty Squadron ([[VQ-1]]) continued to fly the P-3C.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/06/04/fair-winds-and-following-seas-to-the-navys-p-3c/ |title=Fair winds and following seas to the Navy's P-3C |newspaper=[[Navy Times]] |date=4 June 2020 |first=Geoff |last=Ziezulewicz}}</ref> In February of 2025 VQ-1 retired their final EP-3E Aries II and P-3C, leaving VX-30 and VXS-1 as the only squadrons operating the P-3 in U.S. Navy service.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://scramble.nl/military-news/sundown-for-fleet-air-reconnaissance-squadron-one | title=Sundown for Fleet Air Reconnaissance Squadron One | date=18 February 2025 }}</ref>

===In Cuba===
{{Main|Cuban Missile Crisis}}

In October 1962, P-3As flew several blockade patrols in the vicinity of Cuba. Having only joined the operational Fleet earlier that year, this event marked the first employment of the P-3 in a real world "heightened threat" situation.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

===In Vietnam===
{{Main|Operation Market Time}}

Beginning in 1964, forward deployed P-3s began flying various missions under [[Operation Market Time]] from bases in the Philippines and Vietnam. The primary focus of these coastal patrols was to stem the supply of materials to the [[Viet Cong]] by sea, although several of these missions also became overland "feet dry" sorties. During one such mission, a small caliber artillery shell passed through a P-3 without rendering it mission incapable. The only confirmed combat loss of a P-3 also occurred during Operation Market Time.<ref name="vpnavy.org">[http://www.vpnavy.org/vp26mem.html "VP-26 Memorial: VP-26 Crew – {{sic|In Memo|rium|hide=y|expected=In Memoriam}} – VP-26 Crew."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070510030438/http://www.vpnavy.org/vp26mem.html |date=10 May 2007 }} ''vpnavy.org.'' Retrieved: 14 July 2010.</ref>

In April 1968, a U.S. Navy P-3B of [[VP-26]] was downed by anti-aircraft fire in the Gulf of Thailand with the loss of the entire crew. Two months earlier in February 1968, another one of VP-26's P-3Bs was operating in the same vicinity when it crashed with the loss of the entire crew. Originally attributed to a low altitude mishap, later conjecture is that this aircraft may have also fallen victim to anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire from the same source as the April incident.<ref name="vpnavy.org"/>

===In Iraq===
{{Main|Operation Desert Shield (Gulf War)|Desert Storm|Operation Iraqi Freedom}}

On 2 August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and was poised to strike Saudi Arabia. Within 48 hours of the initial invasion, U.S. Navy P-3Cs were among the first American forces to arrive in the area. One was a modified platform with a prototype over-the-horizon targeting (OTH-T) system package known as "Outlaw Hunter"; it had been undergoing trials in the Pacific after being developed by Tiburon Systems, Inc. for NAVAIR's PMA-290 Program Office.{{sfn|Reade|1998|pp=42–49}} Within hours of the coalition air campaign's start, "Outlaw Hunter" detected a large number of Iraqi patrol boats and naval vessels attempting to move from [[Basra]] and [[Umm Qasr]] to [[Iran]]ian waters. "Outlaw Hunter" vectored in strike elements which attacked the [[flotilla]] near [[Bubiyan Island]], destroying 11 vessels and damaging scores more. During Desert Shield, a P-3 using [[infrared imaging]] detected a ship with Iraqi markings beneath freshly-painted bogus Egyptian markings trying to avoid detection.{{sfn|Reade|1998|pp=42–49}}

Several days before the 7 January 1991 commencement of Operation [[Desert Storm]], a P-3C equipped with an APS-137 [[Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar]] (ISAR) conducted coastal surveillance along Iraq and Kuwait to provide pre-strike reconnaissance on enemy military installations. A total of 55 of the 108 Iraqi vessels destroyed during the conflict were targeted by P-3Cs.{{sfn|Reade|1998|pp=42–49}}

The P-3's mission expanded in the late 1990s and early 2000s to include [[battlespace]] surveillance both at sea and over land. The long range and long loiter time of the P-3 proved to be an invaluable asset during [[Gulf War|Operation Iraqi Freedom]] and [[Operation Enduring Freedom]], being able to instantaneously provide the gathered battlespace information to ground troops, particularly the U.S. Marines.<ref name='USNavyFactFile'/>

===In Afghanistan===
{{Main|War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)}}

Although the P-3 is a MPA, armament and sensor upgrades in the Anti-surface Warfare Improvement Program (AIP)<ref name="lockheedmartin.com">Chudy, Jason.
[http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/P3CAntiSurfaceWarfareImprovementPro/index.html "P-3C Anti-Surface Warfare Improvement Program (P-3C AIP)."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029105236/http://www.lockheedmartin.com/products/P3CAntiSurfaceWarfareImprovementPro/index.html |date=29 October 2009 }} ''lockheedmartin.com.'' Retrieved: 14 July 2010.</ref> have made it suitable for sustained combat air support over land.<ref name="lockheedmartin.com"/> In what became known as the "Decade in the Desert", Navy P-3Cs patrolled combat zones in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.<ref name="rogoway20140702">{{Cite web |url=https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/confessions-of-a-pilot-behind-the-us-navys-airborne-sub-1598415741 |title=Confessions Of A US Navy P-3 Orion Maritime Patrol Pilot |last=Rogoway |first=Tyler |date=2 July 2014 |website=Foxtrot Alpha |language=en-US |access-date=11 August 2019}}</ref> From the start of the war in Afghanistan, U.S. Navy P-3s operated from Kandahar in that role.<ref>Chudy, Jason.[http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,SS_070505_Navy,00.html "P-3C Anti-Surface Warfare Improvement Program (P-3C AIP)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611102645/http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,SS_070505_Navy,00.html |date=11 June 2009 }} ''military.com.'' Retrieved: 14 July 2010.</ref> Royal Australian Air Force AP-3Cs operated out of Minhad Air Base in the UAE from 2003 until their withdrawal in November 2012. Between 2008 and 2012, AP-3Cs conducted overland intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks in support of coalition troops across Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/2012/11/29/minister-for-defence-and-minister-for-defence-science-and-personnel-joint-media-release-last-ap-3c-orion-aircraft-welcomed-home-from-middle-east/|title=Defence Ministers » Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Science and Personnel – Joint Media Release – Last AP-3C Orion Aircraft welcomed home from Middle East|work=defence.gov.au|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429031651/http://www.minister.defence.gov.au/2012/11/29/minister-for-defence-and-minister-for-defence-science-and-personnel-joint-media-release-last-ap-3c-orion-aircraft-welcomed-home-from-middle-east/|archive-date=29 April 2013}}</ref>

The [[United States Geological Survey]] used the Orion to survey parts of southern and eastern Afghanistan for lithium, copper, and other mineral deposits.<ref name="nytimes.com">Risen, James. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?pagewanted=2&hp "U.S. Identifies Vast Mineral Riches in Afghanistan."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141215054401/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html?pagewanted=2&hp |date=15 December 2014 }} ''The New York Times,'' 13 June 2010. Retrieved: 14 July 2010.</ref>

===In Libya===
{{Main|2011 Libyan civil war}}

Several U.S. Navy P-3Cs, and two Canadian [[CP-140 Aurora]]s, a variant of the Orion, participated in maritime surveillance missions over Libyan waters in the framework of enforcement of the 2011 no-fly zone over Libya.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8515781/British-ships-protected-by-borrowed-US-spy-plane-in-Libya.html "British ships protected by borrowed US spy plane in Libya."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011083637/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/8515781/British-ships-protected-by-borrowed-US-spy-plane-in-Libya.html |date=11 October 2016 }} ''The Telegraph.'' Retrieved: 7 January 2012.</ref><ref>Strelieff, Captain Jill. [http://www.cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/fs-ev/2011/10/04-eng.asp "Auroras fly first missions over Libya."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111212073753/http://www.cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/fs-ev/2011/10/04-eng.asp |date=12 December 2011 }} ''Sicily Air Wing Public Affairs,'' 4 October 2011. Retrieved: 7 January 2012.</ref>

A U.S. Navy P-3C supporting [[Operation Odyssey Dawn]] engaged the Libyan coast guard vessel ''Vittoria'' on 28 March 2011 after the vessel and eight smaller craft fired on merchant ships in the port of [[Misrata]], Libya. The Orion fired [[AGM-65 Maverick]] missiles on ''Vittoria'', which was subsequently beached.<ref>[http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=6347 "US Navy P-3C, USAF A-10 and USS Barry Engage Libyan Vessels."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720133307/http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=6347 |date=20 July 2011 }} ''africom.mil,'' 29 March 2011. Retrieved: 29 March 2011</ref>

===Iran===
[[File:F-14A VF-213 intercepting Iranian  P-3F 1981.jpg|thumbnail|left|A U.S. Navy [[F-14A Tomcat]] belonging to [[VF-213]] intercepts an [[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force|IRIAF]] P-3F Orion over the Indian Ocean – 1981]]
Lockheed produced the P-3F variant of the P-3 Orion for [[Pahlavi Iran]]. Six examples were delivered to the former [[Imperial Iranian Air Force]] (IIAF) in 1975 and 1976.

Following the [[Iranian Revolution]] in 1979, the Orions continued in service, after the IIAF was renamed the [[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force]] (IRIAF). They were used in the Tanker War phase of the [[Iran–Iraq War]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} A total of four P-3Fs remain in service.

===Pakistan===
[[File:Pakistan Navy Orion Asuspine.jpg|thumb|A Pakistan Navy P-3C Orion in [[Quetta]], in October 2010]]

Three P-3C Orions, delivered to the [[Pakistan Navy]] in 1996 and 1997 were operated extensively during the [[Kargil War|Kargil conflict]]. After the crash of one with the loss of an entire crew, the type was grounded; nonetheless, the aircraft were maintained in an armed state and airworthy condition throughout the escalation period of 2001 and 2002. During 2007, they were used by the navy to conduct signals intelligence, airborne and bombing operations in a [[Operation Black Thunderstorm|Swat offensive]] and [[Operation Rah-e-Nijat]]. Precision and strategic bombing missions were carried out by the P-3Cs; intelligence management operations were also conducted against Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives.<ref>Mackey, Robert. [http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/before-attack-pakistans-navy-boasted-of-role-in-fight-against-taliban/ "Before Attack, Pakistan's Navy Boasted of Role in Fight Against Taliban."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617162912/http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/before-attack-pakistans-navy-boasted-of-role-in-fight-against-taliban/ |date=17 June 2012 }} ''The New York Times,'' 23 May 2011. Retrieved: 10 April 2012.</ref>

On 22 May 2011, two out of the four Pakistani P-3Cs were destroyed in an [[PNS Mehran attack|attack on PNS Mehran]], a Pakistani Naval station in Karachi.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pakalertpress.com/2011/05/26/foreign-hand-behind-pns-mehran-base-attack-in-pakistan/|title=Foreign Hand Behind PNS Mehran Base Attack in Pakistan.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110529111233/http://www.pakalertpress.com/2011/05/26/foreign-hand-behind-pns-mehran-base-attack-in-pakistan/|archive-date=29 May 2011|work=Pakalert Press|date=26 May 2011}}</ref> In June 2011, the U.S. agreed to replace the destroyed aircraft with two new ones.<ref>[http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/17/us-to-replace-two-p3c-orion-aircraft.html "US to replace two P3C Orion aircraft."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110902025903/http://www.dawn.com/2011/06/17/us-to-replace-two-p3c-orion-aircraft.html |date=2 September 2011 }} ''Dawn.com,'' 17 June 2011.</ref> In February 2012, the U.S. delivered two additional P-3Cs to the Pakistan Navy.<ref>[https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/620407-pakistan-navy-receives-two-p3cs "Pakistan Navy receives two P3Cs."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219171113/https://www.thenews.com.pk/archive/print/620407-pakistan-navy-receives-two-p3cs |date=19 February 2017 }} ''News International,'' 22 February 2012. Retrieved: 9 April 2012.</ref>

On 18 November 2016, during [[2016–2018 India–Pakistan border skirmishes|tensions]] with India, the Pakistan Navy dispatched various ASW units, including P-3Cs, in response to reports of an [[Indian Navy]] submarine that was allegedly loitering in close proximity to the Southern territorial waters of Pakistan in the [[Arabian Sea]]. This submarine was swiftly intercepted by the Navy Orions and forced away from the territorial boundaries.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ispr.gov.pk/press-release-detail.php?id=3571 | title=Inter Services Public Relations Pakistan | access-date=1 August 2022 | archive-date=26 July 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726045657/https://ispr.gov.pk/press-release-detail.php?id=3571 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===In Somalia===
[[File:Maersk Alabama, seen by P-3C Orion.jpg|thumb|A U.S. Navy P-3C Orion monitoring the [[Maersk Alabama hijacking|hijacking of MV ''Maersk Alabama'']], 2009]]
{{Main|Piracy in Somalia}}

The [[Spanish Air Force]] deployed P-3s to assist the international effort against [[piracy in Somalia]]. On 29 October 2008, a Spanish P-3 patrolling Somalia's coast reacted to a distress call from an [[oil tanker]] in the [[Gulf of Aden]]; it overflew the pirate vessels three times, dropping a [[smoke bomb]] on each pass, as they attempted to board the tanker. After the third pass, the pirates broke off their attack.<ref>[http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_2417932,00.html "Spain foils pirates' plans."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101073837/http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0%2C%2C2-11-1447_2417932%2C00.html |date=1 November 2008 }} ''news24.com.'' Retrieved: 14 July 2010.</ref> On 29 March 2009, the same P-3 pursued the assailants of the German navy tanker {{ship||Spessart|A1442}}, resulting in the pirate's capture.<ref>[http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=31776 "Boxer Supports International Counter-Piracy Effort in Gulf of Aden – Other Attacks Increase Off Somali Coast."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616055602/http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news%2Fnews_show.php&id=31776 |date=16 June 2009 }} ''dvidshub.net,'' 28 October 2008. Retrieved: 14 July 2010.</ref>

In April 2011, the [[Portuguese Air Force]] also contributed to [[Operation Ocean Shield]] by sending a P-3C<ref>[http://www.emfa.pt/www/detalhe.php?cod=035.603 "P-3 na Operação 'Ocean Shield'."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605021502/http://www.emfa.pt/www/detalhe.php?cod=035.603 |date=5 June 2012 }} ''[[Força Aérea Portuguesa]],'' 5 April 2011. Retrieved: 28 June 2011.</ref> which had early success when on its fifth mission detected a pirate whaler with two attack skiffs.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110927171556/http://www.manw.nato.int/pdf/Press%20Releases%202011/Press%20releases%20Jan-June%202011/SNMG2/03%20May%202011%20GB%20PAO%2029%204%2011%20ESSN%20disruption.pdf "News Release: NATO'S latest counter piracy weapon strikes early blow."] ''Allied Maritime Command Headquarters Northwood,'' 29 April 2011. Retrieved: 28 June 2011.</ref> Since 2009, the [[Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force]] has deployed P-3s to Djibouti for anti-piracy patrols,<ref>[https://www.stratfor.com/analysis/japan-joining-anti-piracy-effort-somali-coast Japan: Joining the Anti-Piracy Effort off the Somali Coast May 28, 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200518023705/https://worldview.stratfor.com/article/japan-joining-anti-piracy-effort-somali-coast |date=18 May 2020 }} Retrieved 21 November 2016</ref><ref>[https://theaviationist.com/2013/01/22/patrol-planes-pirates/ Here's how Coalition Patrol Planes Hunt Somali Pirates in the Horn of Africa January 23, 2013] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202081513/https://theaviationist.com/2013/01/22/patrol-planes-pirates/ |date=2 February 2017 }} ''The Aviationist'' Retrieved 21 November 2016</ref><ref>[http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/piracy/ja_somalia_1210.html Japan's Actions against Piracy off the Coast of Somalia February 15, 2016] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209152854/http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/piracy/ja_somalia_1210.html |date=9 December 2016 }} ''[[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]]'' Retrieved 21 November 2016</ref> from 2011 from its own base.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-military-djibouti-idUSKCN12D0C4 Japan to expand Djibouti military base to counter Chinese influence October 13, 2016] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519130226/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-military-djibouti-idUSKCN12D0C4 |date=19 May 2017 }} ''Reuters'' Retrieved 21 November 2016</ref> The German Navy has also periodically contributed a P-3 to address the piracy problem.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===Civilian uses===
[[File:Fox-firebase-aero union-N920AU-070904-02-24.jpg|thumb|Aero Union P-3A Orion taking off from [[General William J. Fox Airfield|Fox Field]], [[Lancaster, California|Lancaster]], California, to fight the North Fire]]

Several P-3s have been N-registered and are operated by civilian agencies. The [[US Customs and Border Protection]] has several P-3A and P-3B aircraft that are used for aircraft intercept and maritime patrol. [[NOAA]] operates two [[Lockheed WP-3D Orion|WP-3D]] variants specially modified for [[hurricane]] research. One P-3, N426NA, is used by [[NASA|National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) as an Earth science research platform, primarily for the [[NASA]] [[Science Mission Directorate]]'s Airborne Science Program; it is based at [[Goddard Space Flight Center]]'s [[Wallops Flight Facility]], [[Virginia]].

Aero Union, Inc. operated eight secondhand P-3As configured as air tankers, which were leased to the [[U.S. Forest Service]], the [[California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection]] and other agencies for [[firefighting]] use. Several of these aircraft were involved in the [[U.S. Forest Service airtanker scandal]] but have not been involved in any catastrophic aircraft mishaps. Aero Union has since gone bankrupt, and their P-3s have been put up for auction.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://wildfiretoday.com/2012/01/01/aero-union-to-auction-their-p-3-air-tankers/|title=Aero Union to auction their P-3 air tankers|work=wildfiretoday.com|date=2 January 2012 |access-date=8 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120914055732/http://wildfiretoday.com/2012/01/01/aero-union-to-auction-their-p-3-air-tankers/|archive-date=14 September 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>