The process of incorporating P-3C Orion maritime surveillance and patrol aircraft into the Argentine Navy recorded in recent days a new and significant administrative and technical milestone. This past Monday, February 23, a payment of US$ 18 million was made to the Kingdom of Norway, unlocking the procedures for the third “Charly,” which enters the process of inspection and refurbishment in the United States. If completed as planned, this would be the third of the four aircraft agreed upon, in an operation aimed at restoring the maritime patrol and naval aviation surveillance capability of the Naval Aviation Command.
The progress falls within the framework of the agreement signed in 2023 with Norway, which provides for the total delivery of three P-3Cs for maritime reconnaissance and patrol and one P-3N for search and rescue (SAR). In November 2025, during the official presentation of the second P-3C at Aeroparque, Navy authorities had publicly indicated an estimated schedule for the subsequent incorporations, mentioning that the third aircraft would arrive during 2026 and that the fourth would remain for a later stage.
In operational terms, the entry into inspection in the U.S. would mark a decisive step within a process that is not limited to the transfer of the aircraft: the planes must undergo general evaluation stages, structural reconditioning, and avionics work, with contractor participation, before being ready for their ferry flight and formal incorporation into the inventory of the Naval Aviation Command (COAN).
With two units received – serial numbers 6-P-57 and 6-P-58 – expectations regarding the incorporation of the third Orion are linked to the need to consolidate a sustained and not merely episodic capability. A growing fleet allows for the distribution of flight hours, the maintenance of maintenance schedules, and the assurance of real availability to carry out prolonged patrols over the South Atlantic, in addition to surveillance tasks in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and support for SAR missions, where the autonomy and sensors of the system become a capability multiplier for the Argentine Military Instrument.
While the third P-3C advances through its refurbishment in the United States, the Argentine Navy remains focused on completing the cycle of incorporation, training, and sustainment required by a platform of this type with the two units already incorporated during 2024 and 2025.
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