ATHENS, Greece, Sept. 01, 2025 –The Hellenic Navy’s first upgraded P-3B Orion aircraft successfully completed its maiden test flight, marking a major milestone in the Mid-Life-Upgrade (MLU) Program.
The flight, which took place today, validated the aircraft’s onboard systems, including its state-of-the-art glass cockpit and mission data interfaces, which will enhance the Hellenic Navy’s maritime surveillance and anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
Lockheed Martin, the program’s prime contractor, demonstrated its commitment to the Hellenic Navy P-3B modernization program by increasing its on-site team and investing significant resources to ensure the program’s success. The company worked closely with Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI) to resolve compatibility issues between the new digital cockpit and older systems, paving the way for the successful test flight.
“The successful test flight of the upgraded P-3B Orion aircraft is a key milestone,” said Rod McLean, vice president and general manager Air Mobility and Maritime Missions. “The upgraded P-3B Orion will play a vital role in enhancing Greece’s maritime patrol capability and ensuring the Hellenic Navy is mission ready for decades to come.”
“The completion of the first upgraded P-3B Orion marks a milestone in the course of a structural and avionics modernization program characterized by a particularly high degree of difficulty and complexity,” said Alexandros Diakopoulos, executive chairman and CEO of HAI. “During its implementation, technical challenges arose, the resolution of which required significant investment of time and resources. Despite these difficulties, the commencement of flight tests of the prototype upgraded aircraft demonstrates our dedication to the mission.”
The Hellenic Navy P-3B maritime patrol aircraft MLU and modernization program launched in 2015 as a government-to-government agreement between the United States and Greece and is the only one of its kind globally. It provides for phased depot maintenance, a Greece indigenous mission integration and management system, new avionics, and other ancillary hardware and services.
The agreement includes the modernization of four Hellenic Navy P-3B aircraft through the MLU Program. MLU kits provide an extension of service life by 15,000 flight hours, greatly enhancing capability leveraged with cost-effectiveness.
The Hellenic Navy has operated the P-3 fleet for more than 20 years. The upgraded Greek versions of the P-3B Orion are uniquely equipped for anti-ship warfare, while the modern glass cockpit, featuring LCD displays and mission data interfaces, will provide pilots with improved situational awareness and threat identification capabilities.
The P-3 Orion is the model in maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, and is used for homeland security, anti-piracy operations, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, intelligence gathering, antisubmarine warfare and, recently, to assist in air traffic control and natural disaster relief support. Find out more about the P-3 Orion here: www.lockheedmartin.com/P3
