Page 61 - Air Forces Monthly - September 2017

P-3C 60+06 was a participant in Joint Warrior 17/1 at RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, earlier this year. This biannual exercise is billed as the largest in Europe and
involves dozens of warships and submarines as well as MPAs. John Reid
flight rules (IFR) equipment. flying hours in 46 missions. Emergencies, in Cuxhaven. Converted to Do 228NG
The first P-3 is expected to The German Orions have The Marineflieger began standard in 2011, Do 228LM
emerge from the programme amassed 5,500-plus flying operations with the Do 228LM, 57+04 kept its original sensor
in late 2018. All work should be hours in some 650 missions a special-mission version of suite, including a Swedish Space
completed within eight years, in the operation. the Do 228-212, in 1991. A Corporation side-looking airborne
and will give each aircraft a single Do 228LM (57+01) radar (SLAR). Its antenna is
15,000-hour life extension. Dorniers operated alongside two Do mounted in a pod under the
The Marineflieger first deployed Apart from flying P-3Cs, MFG 28OUs (‘oil units’) until the forward fuselage. The newly
the Orion on an international 3’s 2. Staffel also operates two latter retired in 1995. delivered Do 228NG is equipped
mission in 2008, when a P-3C Dornier Do 228s. They are almost A second Do 228LM (57+04) with a different sensor suite
replaced one of MFG 3’s Atlantics exclusively tasked with detecting joined in 1998. The oldest Do including a Terma SLAR, which
in Operation Enduring Freedom oil and chemical pollution in 228LM (57+01) was put up for has two antennas mounted on
in the Horn of Africa. Flying the North Sea and Baltic, but sale in 2012 and replaced by a Do the forward fuselage sides.
from Djibouti, the German can also be called on for SAR. 228NG (‘new generation’), which A standard Do 228 crew
P-3Cs continued operations in Although flown by the has a glass cockpit and new five- consists of two pilots and a
Enduring Freedom until 2010. Marineflieger, the Do 228s are blade propellers that reduce sensor operator, but can be
Since 2009, Marineflieger P-3Cs owned by the Bundesministerium overall weight and improve increased to five for specific
have also taken part in the EU’s für Verkehr und digitale performance and endurance. missions. Missions are flown
Operation Atalanta in the same Infrastructur (BMVI, Federal MFG 3 took delivery of the new daily and can last up to 5 hrs,
area. Flying with the callsign Ministry for Traffic and aircraft in late 2011. Pending 30 mins. The aircraft and their
‘Jester’, an MFG 3 Orion most Digital Infrastructure) and acceptance of all equipment crews are available around-
recently operated from Djibouti operated on behalf of the on board, it carried test serial the-clock at 2 hours’ notice and
from early March to late June Havariekommando, Germany’s 98+35 until re-serialled as the pair fly around 2,000 hours
this year, accumulating 386 Central Command for Maritime 57+05 in March 2014. annually. Kees van der Mark AFM

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