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RAAF Orion to join HARS collection

written by australianaviation.com.au | October 30, 2017

A RAAF AP-3C flies in formation with the HARS Neptune. (Defence)

The Historical Aviation Restoration Society (HARS) is to be gifted an ex-RAAF Lockheed AP-3C Orion, Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Leo Davies is to announce on Friday.

The Orion will join a HARS collection of more than 20 former RAAF aircraft, including examples of earlier RAAF maritime patrol aircraft including the PBY Catalina and SP-2H Neptune.

While the Orion is still in service, and has joined overseas operations as well as the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the fleet is progressively being replaced by the Boeing P-8A Poseidon.

The federal government has ordered 12 P-8As with a likely top-up order expected to take the fleet to 15. The first P-8A arrived in Australia in November 2016.

Members of the public are invited to attend the handover ceremony, which begins at 1100 at HARS’s Illawarra Regional Airport site.

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Comments (25)

  • Tom

    says:

    #This is brilliant…what a line up. Love the Orions

  • Greg

    says:

    Great photo of 4 generations of Australian maritime patrol aircraft

  • Bill

    says:

    Do not forget to donate another to RNZAF Museum please

  • Jasonp

    says:

    Why would the RAAF donate an AP-3C to the RNZAF Museum?

  • Craigy

    says:

    @Jasonp Exactly. Surely one of the P3K will be donated to the museum as they are retired from service in the years to come.

    It would be good to see one at the RAAF Museum in Point Cook at some point in the not too distant future.

  • Mick181

    says:

    Bill, hopefully they will have some ex RNZAF Orions in the next 4-5 years if NZ buy the Poseidons they have already asked the US Congress to pass for sale.

  • Josh James

    says:

    Would love to see a Sunderland in that picture one day.

  • Adzzaman

    says:

    Will it still be flying or just a static display only?

  • George B

    says:

    The AP-3C has been at the HARS hangar for quite some time.

  • Pontius the pilot

    says:

    That is a piccky to keep.. Backup and all

  • Paul

    says:

    Will be sad to see the Orion go. What a soldier it has been. Ripper lineup!!!

  • Zarg

    says:

    As the Queensland Air Museum (QAM) already has a Lockheed Ventura and Lockheed Neptune in residence, it would be nice to complete the Lockheed trio with a P3 Orion!
    (RAAF and Lockheed Martin please note!!)

  • PAUL

    says:

    Awesome line up ! Yes long live the Orion … will surely miss the sound of those T56’s for just another Turbofan, bit like Electric cars & V8’s

  • Ross Smith

    says:

    Be great to have a Lockheed Hudson and even a Consolidated Liberator (both flown by RAAF personnel as maritime patrol aircraft in WW2) added to the HARS exhibits if it were possible. Or if not at HARS, at the Point Cook museum.

  • Paul

    says:

    PAUL, the sound of the Orion at 200 feet above your head , is very unique. A sorely missed plane!

  • PAUL

    says:

    Paul – Yes indeed – Question is will there be an airworthy version kept to fly alongside Neptune & Catalina?..

  • Josh James

    says:

    Love to see one fly as a tribute to all the unsung and unseen work it’s done. Question is will it be allowed? From memory there was some legal matter that prevented an airworthy F-111 being maintained in Oz. Believe it was to do with US Dept of Defence.

    QAM will hopefully be expanding soon. Brilliant to see an Orion with the DC-4.they’re getting from South Africa

  • Paul

    says:

    PAUL, I guess it’s up to HARS?

  • David Fix

    says:

    I have stood close to a P-3 Orion what a great aircraft i will miss her

  • Paul

    says:

    Josh James, it would of been too expensive to keep one pig flying. They would of scrapped the tooling and everything else after its retirement. Yes it would of been great but that’s life. Cheers.

  • Grant

    says:

    I would think the former Qantas and RAAF 707-338C ex A20-629 still flying with Omega Tankers would be one aircraft marked for future preservation with its long service history albeit in static display condition. Perhaps another opportunity not to be missed as we already have the 707-138 model preserved at Longreach and other bound for HARS via John Travolta.

  • Grant

    says:

    the Orion would look wonderful repainted in the Grey/white scheme of the 60’/70 era with the two main squadrons displayed e.g 10 squadron on the port fuselage and 11 squadron on the starboard as they have done with the f-111 aircraft displayed with 1 and 6 squadron markings

  • Jasonp

    says:

    The HARS P-3 has been parked at WOL since it was retired earlier this year, but approval from the US State Dept for the RAAF to release the aircraft to HARS only came through recently. I believe it will kept in flying condition.

  • Dave N

    says:

    Since HARS is building an extensive collection of former RAAF aircraft,what are the chances of an C130H being added to complement the caribou.I know I’m dreaming know but it would also be great to add a nomad and porter in flying condition.

  • Mick181

    says:

    At a guess i would say there is a fair amount of mission specific equipment that would have been removed before any clearance went througn, it would be a bare bones aircraft only..

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