Operation SOPHIA Spanish P3 Orion take over in Sigonella
On October 26th took place the relief of the P3 Orion that serves in EUNAVFOR MED Operation Operation Sophia Operating with us.
The P3 Orion from 22th Group of 11th Wing based in Morón Air Base, has been relief by another P-3M with the same characteristics, after nearly two months and 16 flights.
The P-3 Orion is a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) designed by American Company Lockheed, nowadays Lockheed Martin. The P-3 serves in the Air Forces and Navy of several countries with ISR, ASuW, ASW, C3 and SAR roles. One of the most important capabilities of this platform it is the flight endurance, providing more than twelve hours of flight and fast transits to the operational area.
This platform has been serving in a wide variety of operations like “Endurance Freedom” in Irak, “Centinela Indico” and “EUNAVFOR Atalanta” in Djibouti, Flying over Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and Indian Ocean.
Spanish “Grappa” Detachment accomplished the first 100 flight hours after more than six weeks acting against migrants smugglers and human traffickers in the Central Mediterranean Sea.
The EU naval operation against human smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean called “EUNAVFOR MED operation SOPHIA”, was launched on the 22 of June, 2015, with the main focus on contributing to disrupt the business model of the smugglers and therefore prevent more loss of lives. The mission on October 7th entered its second phase.
