perating over nearly
4,971 miles (8,000km)
of coastline and insular
territories in the Atlantic (Canary
Islands) and the Mediterranean
(Balearic Islands), the Ejército
del Aire (Spanish Air Force) has
maintained a small but efficient
fleet of MPAs throughout its
history. Today, the unit specialising
in long-range maritime patrol
is 221 Escuadrón, assigned to
Grupo 22, part of Ala 11 based
at Morón de la Frontera, Seville.
The final example of the seven
P-3A Orions the unit received
in the 1970s was retired from
service on November 14, 2017.In its latter years, the aircraft had
been used to train aircrews.
To replace the P-3As – including
four that had been leased from
the US Navy – it was decided
to purchase five P-3Bs from
the Royal Norwegian Air Force
(see End Game for the Orion,
February p56-58), and these
entered service at the close of
the 1980s. Three survivors from
these aircraft – known as ‘Super
Bravos’ – underwent a long
process of upgrade between 2003
and 2012 and currently provide
the backbone of the MPA force.
The Orions were re-designated
as P-3Ms (P.3Ms in Spanishmilitary parlance) after the
modernisation undertaken by
EADS CASA at Getafe. The
improvement work replaced
the existing equipment with the
Fully Integrated Tactical System
(FITS). This system consists of
five operator consoles and new
processors to receive data from
the sensors. Among the new
items installed are an encrypted
Link 11 data link system, Elta ELM-
2022A/CIT-20 radar with 200nm
range, AMES-C electronic support
measures (ESM) and ELINT
passive sensors from the Spanish
firm Indra, a FLIR Systems AAQ-
23 Star SAFIRE III sensor andinfrared/electromagnetic self-
protection systems. A new
mission support centre (MSC)
is responsible for data analysis,
intelligence and crew training.
The P-3Ms can employ a wide
range of weapons, including the
Mk46 Mod 5 torpedo, Mk80 series
general-purpose bombs, Mk36 and
Mk52 mines and 2.75in Folding-
Fin Aerial Rockets (FFAR) in four
underwing LAU-19 launchers. The
Orions can also carry different
types of sonobuoys, as well as
smoke and dye markers and
containers, and life rafts for SAR
missions. Added as part of the
upgrade, the Sociedad AnónimaSpain
Upgraded Orions lead the line
O
78 // APRIL 2018 #361 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comEuropean MPAs Part 4
Fleet
Survey