The Pakistani Navy has received two P-3 Orion aircraft at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, US.
A total of eight P-3C aircraft will be delivered to the Pakistani Navy by 2012 under a US foreign military sales programme.
The aircraft, which are upgraded with modern mission systems and avionics, have been procured from the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, and will help the navy carry out maritime patrol in littoral and deep-water environments.
Pakistani Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani said the induction of the P-3C aircraft into the navy would prevent terrorists, pirates and drug traffickers from using their maritime borders for infiltration and other illegal activities.
The P-3C is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft that features advanced submarine detection sensors including directional frequency and ranging sonobuoys and magnetic anomaly detection equipment.
The aircraft also incorporates an avionics system that can automatically launch ordnance while accepting sensor data inputs and providing flight information to the pilots.
