Naval Research Laboratory retires final NP-3C Orion research aircraft
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's VXS-1 squadron has retired its last NP-3C Orion, a research variant of the P-3C, after more than thirty years of flying it. The MC-12S Super King Air takes over the squadron's work.
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Scientific Development Squadron ONE, known as VXS-1 "Warlocks," retired its last NP-3C Orion on Sept. 22, 2026, according to a laboratory release dated Sept. 29. The aircraft flew to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona for long-term preservation.
The NP-3C was a research version of the P-3C maritime patrol aircraft. The laboratory said the squadron flew the type for more than three decades and that this airframe was the last Orion in active duty with the U.S. Navy on the East Coast.
A ceremony at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland on Sept. 17 marked 63 years of P-3 Orion service, the release said. The same event introduced the NP-3C's replacement, the MC-12S Super King Air, which the laboratory said will test next-generation sensors and support Fleet capabilities.
Records held by the 309th AMARG show two earlier NP-3C airframes arrived at the facility, in January 2015 and November 2016. A P-3C from the squadron followed in March 2019.
Sources
- theaviationist.comNaval Research Laboratory’s VXS-1 Retires its Last NP-3C Orion