Lockheed Martin Awarded $158.5 Million Upgrade Contract for Germany P-3C Orion Aircraft
November 3, 2017 | Lockheed MartinEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Lockheed Martin received a $158.5 million contract for the second phase of the German Navy P-3C Mission System Refresh program. The program will upgrade the mission system processing suites on the fleet of eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to support operations through 2035. The Mission System Refresh is part of an overall fleet upgrade that includes structural mid-life upgrades as well as an upgrade to the Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) cockpit capability.
The Germany P-3C Orion Mission System Refresh Program will include the design, development, manufacture, integration, installation and test of the Lockheed Martin Airborne Tactical Mission System. The majority of the hardware and software design, manufacture and upgrades will be performed at Lockheed Martin sites in Owego, New York, Manassas, Virginia and Marietta, Georgia.
"The P-3 Orion has been the world standard in maritime surveillance for over 50 years. Lockheed Martin is dedicated to providing solutions and critical needs that our U.S. Navy and international customers rely on to carry out these critical missions," said Mike McGuire, Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems Germany P-3 program manager. "The Mission System Refresh provides critical surveillance capabilities, reduces hardware footprint and supports continued future system sustainment."
The Airborne Tactical Mission System is an Open Architecture JAVA-based system that provides state-of-the-art software programs as well as core mission system processing, display and control components. By leveraging Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components, future obsolescence costs are reduced thereby supporting the long-term system sustainability for the customer. In addition to the Airborne Tactical Mission System, the Mission System Refresh will include a new acoustic processing system called the Airborne Rack-Mounted Commercial Portable Processor (AR-C2P) that will provide long-term sustainability in the P-3 aircraft.
The Germany P-3 Orion Mission System Refresh Program began in 2016 when the U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin an initial Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract for $54.9 million for design and development work through Preliminary Design. This current contract award of $158.5 million takes the program from Preliminary Design Review through program completion in 2022. The eight aircraft operated by the German Navy were procured in early 2006 from the Royal Netherlands Navy. The P-3 boasts a number of international customers; a number of whom envision operating their aircraft though 2040.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
Suggested Items
Moog Announces Acquisition of COTSWORKS
07/07/2025 | BUSINESS WIREMoog Inc., a worldwide designer, manufacturer and systems integrator of high-performance precision motion and fluid controls and control systems, announced the acquisition of COTSWORKS Inc., an aerospace and defense fiber optics transceiver component manufacturer, for a purchase price of $63 million.
S&K Aerospace Awarded Major Contract Under DLA Maritime Acquisition Advancement Program
07/02/2025 | BUSINESS WIRES&K Aerospace, LLC has been awarded a significant contract under the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA) Maritime Acquisition Advancement Program, managed by the U.S. Naval Supply Command - Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) in Mechanicsburg, PA.
Green Circuits to Exhibit Full-Service Electronics Manufacturing Solutions at 2025 SMD Symposium
07/02/2025 | Green CircuitsGreen Circuits, a full-service Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) partner to leading OEMs, is pleased to announce its participation in the 2025 SMD Symposium, taking place August 5-7 at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
06/27/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007While news outside our industry keeps our attention occupied, the big news inside the industry is the rechristening of IPC as the Global Electronics Association. My must-reads begins with Marcy LaRont’s exclusive and informative interview with Dr. John Mitchell, president and CEO of the Global Electronics Association. For designers, have we finally reached the point in time where autorouters will fulfill their potential?
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Tin Whisker Mitigation in Aerospace Applications, Part 3
06/25/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileTin whiskers are slender, hair-like metallic growths that can develop on the surface of tin-plated electronic components. Typically measuring a few micrometers in diameter and growing several millimeters in length, they form through an electrochemical process influenced by environmental factors such as temperature variations, mechanical or compressive stress, and the aging of solder alloys.