Page 60 - Air Forces Monthly - September 2017

SURVEY European MPAs Part 1

Germany
Orions going through MLU

T he MPAs of the Deutsche
Marine (German
Navy) are operated by
Marinefliegergeschwader (MFG,
Naval Air Wing) 3 ‘Graf Zeppelin’,
which has a mixed fleet of
eight P-3Cs and two Dornier Do
228s based at Nordholz near
Cuxhaven in northern Germany.
Today the Marineflieger (the
German Navy’s air arm) has only
a single air station left – since
late 2012, MFG 3 has shared MFG 3’s latest Do 228LM wearing the test serial 98+35. It was later re-serialled as 57+05. The type’s primary mission is
Nordholz with MFG 5, a helicopter to detect oil and chemical pollution in the North Sea and Baltic. Peter ten Berg
wing operating 22 Super Lynx
Mk88As and 21 Sea King Mk41s. Germany badly needed a aircraft. The Marineflieger situation has, however, improved.
The Marineflieger acquired replacement for its 14 ageing has also suffered personnel The Marineflieger took delivery
eight P-3C-IIs, modified to Breguet Atlantic MPAs and had shortages for some years. of a ninth P-3C-II in July 2011.
Capability Upkeep Program (CUP) planned to acquire ten Orions, All aircraft were meanwhile This former US Navy Orion
standard, from the Koninklijke while Portugal was also interested subject to depot-level (ex 161007, now 60+22) has
Marine (Royal Netherlands in six RNLN P-3Cs. In a combined maintenance with Cassidian been grounded since its arrival
Navy, RNLN) after the Dutch deal, Germany eventually took (now Airbus Defence and Space) at Nordholz and is used as
defence ministry decided to eight and Portugal five. The in Manching, which at first an instructional airframe.
withdraw its 13-strong Orion Marineflieger also took over the progressed slowly owing to a
fleet by January 2005 because Dutch P-3C-II CUP flight simulator, lack of expertise on the type. So, Upgrade
of budgetary considerations. which now resides at Nordholz. during its first ten In July 2015 the German
The P-3Cs entered service years in service, the government contracted Airbus
ORBAT with the Marineflieger in 2006 combined P-3C Defence and Space and
and are operated within MFG fleet flew just Lockheed Martin to put the
Unit Aircraft Base 3’s two Staffeln (squadrons), 17,000 hours Orions through an extensive
Marine- P-3C, Nordholz which use them operationally – and only MLU programme, enabling the
fl iegerge- Do for ASW and ASuW, surveillance managed 2,000 type to continue in service until
schwader 3 228NG
‘Graf Zeppelin’ and reconnaissance, including of the projected at least 2035 rather than 2025.
overland missions. annual 3,500 Carried out by Airbus at
Inventory German Orion operations hours by Manching, the work includes

Aircraft Number initially remained at a slow 2013. With all replacement of the outer wings,
centre fuselage and horizontal
pace, partly because aircrews
aircraft now
P-3C 8 and technicians needed re-delivered stabilisers and an upgrade of
Do 228NG 2 time to qualify on the new to MFG 3, the both the mission and instrument
Right: Another centennial aircraft,
P-3C 60+01 (c/n 5737) ‘Friedrichshafen’
was formerly NLD 301 in Koninklijke
Marine service. As well as eight
active Orions, a ninth example was
acquired as a ground instructional
airframe. Jamie Hunter

60 // SEPTEMBER 2017 #354 www.airforcesmonthly.com