Newest P-3C Sees Through Clouds and in the Dark
By JOC Tim Adams

NAVEUR NEWS SERVICE (37-98)
15 October 1998

NAPLES, Italy (NWSA) -- Patrol Squadron (VP) FIVE at NAS 
Sigonella, Sicily, recently received the first P-3C Orion 
aircraft refitted with upgrades for day or night surveillance 
and Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) capability.
   The package, called the Antisurface Warfare Improvement 
Program (AIP), also includes a new suite of sensor, 
communications and self-defense equipment.
   A new Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) enables the aircrew to 
see through cloud cover or camouflage netting with startling 
clarity. For surveillance purposes, its camera quality imagery 
can be downlinked in real-time and be available instantly on 
any battlefield commander's desktop computer.
   "Now we have an aircraft that's able to do the job during 
bad weather and at night, and when you have that ability, 
everybody wants to use you," said CDR Ken Deutsch, Commander, 
Task Force (CTF) 67 operations officer.
   "The P-3 has always been a true all weather ASW aircraft," 
said Capt. Lawrence Cotton, CTF-67 Chief of Staff, after 
viewing the new AIP model. "Now it's truly also an all weather 
surveillance platform. We did not compromise or lose any old 
abilities, we still have those plus more tools in the toolbox 
-- mines, torpedoes, harpoon cruise missiles, bombs, Maverick, 
depth charges, sonobuoys and now SLAM."