P2V7US

P2V-7/P-2H

LOCKHEED


	P2V-7S Maritime patrol and ASW aircraft
	FS2004
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The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (P2V until September 1962) was a Maritime patrol and ASW aircraft. It was developed for the United States Navy by Lockheed to replace the PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon, and being replaced in turn with the P-3 Orion. Designed as a land-based aircraft, the Neptune never made a carrier landing, although a small number of aircraft were converted for carrier use and successfully launched. The type was successful in export, seeing service with several armed forces.

Design and development
Development began early in World War II, but in comparison to other aircraft in development at the time it was considered a low priority. So it was not until 1944 that the program went into full swing. A major factor in the design was ease of manufacture and maintenance, and this can be said to have been a major factor in the type's long life and worldwide success. The first aircraft flew in 1945. Production began in 1946, and the aircraft was accepted into service in 1947.
It was one of the first aircraft to be fitted in operational service with both piston and jet engines. The Convair B-36, several Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter, C-123 Provider, and Avro Shackleton aircraft also achieved that distinction; it leads naturally to an unusual sound during overflight.

Operational history
Early Cold War
Prior to the introduction of the P-3 Orion in the mid 1960's the Neptune was the primary U.S. land-based anti-submarine patrol craft, intended to be operated as a the hunter of a '"Hunter-Killer" group, with Destroyers employed as killers. Several features aided this task:
Various sonobouys could be launched from a fuselage station in the after portion of the fuselage and monitored by radio;
While some models were equipped with twin .50 caliber machine guns in the nose, most had with a forward observation bubble with an observer seat, and this feature may be seen in several of the images;

A Magnetic Anomaly Detector was fitted in an extended tail, producing a paper chart. While unmarked charts were not classified, any with annotations were considered secret materials;
A belly mounted surface search radar enabled detection of surfaced and snorkeling submarines at considerable distances.

Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, the Neptune was used by the US Navy as a gunship, an overland reconnaissance and sensor deployment aircraft, and in its traditional role as a maritime patrol airplane. The Neptune was also utilized by the U.S. Army's 1st Radio Research Company (Aviation), call sign 'Crazy Cat,' located at Cam Ranh Bay, as an electronic 'ferret' aircraft.

Falklands War
The Argentine Navy had received at least 16 Neptunes in different variants since 1958 including eight ex-RAF for use in the Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Exploración. They were intensively used in 1978 during the Operation Soberania against Chile including over the Pacific Ocean.
During the Falklands War in 1982, the last two airframes in service (2-P-111 and 2-P-112) played a key role of reconnaissance and aiding Dassault Super Étendards, particularly on the 4 May attack against HMS Sheffield. The lack of spare parts, caused by the US having enacted an arms embargo in 1977 due to the Dirty War, led to the type being retired before the end of the war; Argentine Air Force C-130 Hercules took over the task of searching for targets for strike aircraft.
In 1983, the unit was reformed with Lockheed L-188 Electras modified for maritime surveillance and in 1994 these ones were replaced with P-3B Orions.

Other military operators
The Royal Air Force Coastal Command operated 52 P2V-5s, designated Neptune MR.1s as a stop-gap modern maritime patrol aircraft until the Avro Shackletons could enter service. They were used from between 1952 and March 1957, being used for Airborne Early Warning experiments as well as for maritime patrol.
In Australia, the Netherlands, and the US Navy, its tasks were taken over by the much larger and more capable P-3 Orion, and by the 1970s, it was only in use by patrol squadrons in the US Naval Reserve. In Canada, its tasks were taken over by the CP-107 Argus, followed by the CP-140 Aurora. The US Naval Reserve abandoned its last Neptunes in 1978, those aircraft also having been replaced by the P-3 Orion. By the 1980s, the Neptune had fallen out of military use in most purchasing nations, replaced by newer aircraft.
In Japan, the Neptune was license-built from 1966 by Kawasaki as the P-2J, with the piston engines replaced by IHI turboprops. Kawasaki continued their manufacture much later than Lockheed did; the P-2J remained in service until 1984.

Civilian firefighting
P-2/P2Vs are currently employed in aerial firefighting roles by operators such as Aero Union and Neptune Aviation Services and can carry 2,400 gal (9,084 l) of retardant with a service life of 15,000 hours. Neptune proposes to replace them with Bombardier Q200 and Q300 aircraft which are estimated to have a service life of 80,000 hours.

P-2H (P2V-7)
General characteristics
Crew: 7-9
Length: 91 ft 8 in (27.94 m)
Wingspan: 103 ft 10 in (31.65 m)
Height: 29 ft 4 in (8.94 m)
Wing area: 1,000 ft² (92.9 m²)
Empty weight: 49,935 lb (22,650 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 79,895 lb (35,240 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Wright R-3350-32W Cyclone Turbo-compound radial engine, 3,700 hp (2,759 kW) wet each
Propellers: 4 bladed propeller, 1 per engine.

Performance
Maximum speed: 316 kn (363 mp/h) (586 km/h) (all engines)
Cruise speed: 180 kn (207 mp/h) (333 km/h) (max)
Range: 1,912 nmi (2,157 mi) (3,540 km)
Service ceiling: 22,400 ft.

Armament
Rockets: 2.75 in (70 mm) FFAR in removable wing-mounted pods
Bombs: 8,000 lb (3,629 kg) including free-fall bombs, depth charges, and torpedoes.

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P2V-7 Neptune History:
The Lockheed P2V Neptune was a naval patrol bomber and anti-submarine warfare aircraft for the United States Navy between 1947 and 1978. It replaced the PV-1 Ventura and the PV-2 Harpoon and was successful in export, seeing service with several armed forces around the world. Production began in 1946, and the P2V was accepted into service in 1947.

The P2V-7 was the last US-built model of the Neptune. It had a distinctive enlarged canopy with a better all-around view, and a longer fuselage. Wingtip tanks were streamlined and made smaller.

Early production had nose, tail, and dorsal turrets, but these were quickly eliminated in favor of a clear nose, MAD boom, and observer dome respectively.

P2V-7s were also operated by Canada, Australia, France, the Netherlands.
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