Lockheed Martin [LMT] delivered two of seven upgraded P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft for Pakistan under the U.S. Government’s Foreign Military Sales program, the company reported.
The most recent aircraft delivery occurred on Jan. 7 to the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla., for subsequent transfer to Pakistan. Lockheed Martin delivered the first plane in October 2009, the company said.
Lockheed Martin is upgrading the P-3Cs’ aircraft and mission systems and providing maintenance under a 2006 contract from the U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command. The P-3C supports anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare missions and will enhance Pakistan’s ability to conduct maritime surveillance in littoral and deep-water environments, according to Lockheed Martin.
The aircraft are designed to have a single integrated tactical picture of the battlespace, drawing upon data from aircraft sensors and information from other platforms, the company added.
“These aircraft incorporate a variety of enhanced features including communications, electro-optic and infrared systems, data management, controls and displays, mission computers and acoustic processing,” Mike Fralen, director for Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors’ maritime surveillance programs, said.
The P-3 is the primary maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft operated by the U.S. Navy and 16 allied countries. Its roles include anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, surveillance and reconnaissance, search and rescue, drug interdiction, economic zone patrol, airborne early warning and electronic warfare, Lockheed Martin added.