Lockheed CP-140 Aurora

History of the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora

Given its long coastline, Maritime Patrol (CP) is one of the most important roles a country like Canada has to perform. In response, the United States deployed the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora, which was developed from the proven American Lockheed P-3 Orion used by the United States Navy (USN). A total of 21 airframes have been produced between the 18 x CP-140M and 3 x CP-140A brands since the service was launched in 1980.

The prototype flew for the first time on March 22, 1979.

The CP-140 is a multi-mission military aircraft capable of performing a variety of surface missions, including general patrol, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), search and rescue (SAR), intelligence surveillance-reconnaissance (ISR), and airway execution/protection Such is its versatility. Its capabilities are also not limited to work at sea, as the aircraft can operate equally efficiently from land and land bases when needed.

Aurora entered service with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to replace the aging CP-107 "Argus" platform fleet in the same role. Introduced in 1957, Canadair Argus produced 33 prototypes, operating until 1982 before decommissioning.

Like the Orion before it, the Aurora uses a traditional design arrangement with a straight, low-mounted main aircraft attached to the bottom of a streamlined tubular fuselage. The rear wing adopts a traditional single-rib structure with a low horizontal plane.

The cockpit/flight deck is usually arranged on a short nose cone, and retractable wheeled landing gear is used for ground operation.

Power comes from four 4,600 hp Allison T-56-A-14-LFT turboprop engines, each driving a four-bladed propeller unit. This gives the airframe a top speed of up to 462 mph, a range of up to 5,800 miles, and a service ceiling of 35,000 feet.

For its mission, the aircraft can be armed with torpedoes, air-to-surface missiles, depth charges, general-purpose projectile bombs and mines. Additionally, the aircraft is certified to carry active and passive sonobuoys for its anti-submarine warfare.

This makes the CP-140 an all-in-one solution for RCAF in terms of deterrence and direct attack on enemy sea-based elements.

At the heart of the Aurora family, however, is a localized offshoot of the Orion, with wingtip pods specifically designed to meet the needs of Canadian air travel. In addition, the aircraft's internal equipment ("working envelope") differs from the US CP-140, which is essentially a P-3 airframe with the US Navy Lockheed S-3 "Viking" (S-3A-variant) .

Onboard systems include Texas Instruments ()TI) APS-116 search radar, TI ASQ-501 MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector), and AYK-10 processing calculations.

Dimensions of the aircraft include a barrel length of 116.9 feet, a wingspan of 99.7 feet and a height of 34.4 feet. Loaded weight reaches 61,400 lbs. The aircraft accommodates a crew of approximately 15 for a total capacity of 20, but can also be equipped with a skeleton crew of 8 if desired.

The last ASW forms were delivered in 1981, and Lockheed's Arcturus fuselage at its famous Burbank, California facility ended when the company moved its work to Marietta, Georgia. The last CP-140A was delivered in 1991.

Lockheed delivered three airframes that year, albeit without ASW equipment (but retained the APS-134 radar), and the RCAF used them for crew training/general patrol duties, designated CP-140A "Arcturus". The CP-140A aircraft were all retired in 2011, and the modernized CP-140M became the only Aurora in service.

The CP-140 series was incrementally updated in four major "blocks" as part of the "Aurora Incremental Modernization Project" in the late 1990s (resulting in the CP-140M designation). Work is focused on upgrading avionics and tactical mission equipment to keep the series viable into the 2020s. The latest release is the "Block 4" series, which is being tested at the time of writing (2020).

As part of the Aurora Structural Life Extension Program (ASLEP), at least 14 of the fleet will receive new wings to further extend their useful life.

Currently (2020) CP-140s are operated by 404 LRPA and Training Squadron, 405 LRPS, 407 LRPS and 415 LRPF Development Squadron.

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