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Lockheed CP-140 AURORA
Lockheed CP-140 Aurora in its current low-vis scheme. (CF Photo)
The CP-140 Aurora is a four-engine turboprop, long range maritime patrol aircraft built for the Canadian Forces by Lockheed Corporation. The aircraft type entered service in 1980 to replace the Canadair Argus.
The Aurora is a successful marriage of the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe with then modern avionics similar to the S-3 Viking carrier-borne aircraft. The aircraft's sensors are primarily intended for ASW work but are also capable of maritime surveillance, counter-drug and search and rescue missions.
The P-3 airframe is a variant of the much older Lockheed Electra airliner originally proposed to the United States Navy as a patrol bomber in 1957. In 1976, the Aurora variant won the Canadian Long-Range Patrol Aircraft competition to replace the Argus and 18 aircraft were delivered commencing in 1980. A further three aircraft with significantly different mission avionics were acquired in the early 1990s for non-ASW roles. These later variants were named "Arcturus" in CF service.
The P-3 airframe currently forms the maritime patrol "backbone" for many nations including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Norway, Spain, and Portugal among others.
| Manufacturer: | Lockheed Aircraft Corporation |
| Crew/Passengers: | 2 Pilots, 1 Flight Engineer, 4 Navigators, 4 AESOPs |
| Power Plant: | 4 Alison T-56-A-14-LFE turboprop engines |
| Performance: | Max Speed: 405 kts (750 km/h) Cruising Speed: 350 kts (648 km/h) Service Ceiling: 35,000 ft ( 10,668 m) Range: 5,000 nm (9,266 km) Endurance: 17 hrs |
| Weights: | Empty: 61,491 lb (27,892 kg) Gross: 142,000 lb (64,410 kg) |
| Dimensions: | Span: 99 ft 8 in (30.37 m) Length: 116 ft 10 in (35.61 m) Height: 33 ft 9 in (10.30 m) Wing Area: 1,300 sq ft (120.7 sq m) |
| Armament: | Sonobuoys, Forward-looking Infra-Red Camera (FLIR), magnetic anomaly detector, electronic support measures, fixed 70mm camera, hand-held camera, night vision goggles, gyrostabilized binoculars Mk 46 Mod V torpedoes, signal chargers, smoke makers, illumination flares, and may be fitted with air-to-surface missiles. |
| Cost: | $24,905,000 |
