After completing its ferry flight from the United States and making a stopover in Peru, the second P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft of the Argentine Navy has arrived in the country. The aircraft, which will soon bear the registration “6-P-58,” landed shortly after noon today, October 14, at Comandante Espora Naval Air Base (BACE), a fact confirmed through the official social media channels of the Ministry of Defense of the Argentine Republic.
In recent years, the Argentine Navy and the Ministry of Defense have made significant efforts to restore long-range surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, which had been effectively lost following the gradual retirement of the P-3B aircraft — of which only one remains in service, with an uncertain future.
With its arrival now complete, it is expected that in the coming days the future “6-P-58” will receive the corresponding Argentine Navy insignia and color scheme, ahead of its official presentation and induction into the Naval Exploration Squadron. The aircraft will later operate from Almirante Zar Air Base, home to the unit under the command of Naval Air Force No. 3.
Through his official social media accounts, Minister of Defense Luis Petri highlighted the efforts undertaken by the national government to recover the country’s maritime surveillance and patrol capabilities across its vast coastline.
In this regard, with the arrival of the second P-3C Orion in Argentina, two additional aircraft remain to be received to complete the agreement signed with the Kingdom of Norway in October 2023. Under this agreement, the Naval Aviation Command is in the process of incorporating four aircraft in total — three “Charlie” variants and one “November.”
Lastly, as noted in Management Report No. 144 submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers to the National Congress, these aircraft are expected to arrive in Argentina throughout 2026, at a rate of one per semester, while undergoing maintenance and refurbishment in the United States by MHD-ROCKLAND.
Photos: Ministry of Defense / Argentine Navy.
