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From: stevenp@decwrl.pa.dec.com (Steven Philipson)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: P-3 Orion MidAir
Message-ID: <1991Apr18.032817.22458@amd.com>
Date: 18 Apr 91 00:28:39 GMT
References: <1991Apr9.030514.2605@amd.com> <1991Mar27.051340.22645@amd.com>
Sender: military@amd.com
Organization: DEC Palo Alto
Lines: 43
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From: stevenp@decwrl.pa.dec.com (Steven Philipson)


mbk@netcom.com (Miles Kehoe) writes;
> He added (the day before the crash) that "black p-3s are specially
> equipped for sub tracking, with more electronics than the normal
> p-3" and that they send the black p-3s in when they have a hard
> siting on a sub they really want to track.

   My source at Moffet tells me that this is incorrect.  There are no
"black" P-3s.  There are dark grey P-3s, but there is nothing special
about them.  This is simply the latest paint scheme.  All P-3s that are
refurbished and repainted are given this scheme.  The color scheme does
not correlate with the revision level of the avionics.  I can confirm
the color being grey.  It was possible to get get within about 10 feet
of these aircraft during this year's airshow at Moffet.  The older
scheme is a lighter shade with a white top, the later being an attempt
to reduce the air conditioning load.

	[Umm, I think Mr. Kehoe is using "black" to refer to secret 
	 programs, not painting.  --CDR]

> [...] my first reaction was "How could two
> of those planes be so unlucky as to be in the same time and place 
> over such a big ocean?".. unless of course there was something
> really interesting near them... 

   Both aircraft were on a training mission.  They were in the process
of  handing off control of the sector from the aircraft leaving station
to the aircraft arriving.  This is a routine operation.  The SOP is for
the aircraft to be at different altitudes.  I've not seen any official
explanation for why both aircraft were at the same altitude.  Weather
at the time ws pretty bad though, and could have been distracting.
(This was reported in the local papers and Aviation Week.)
 
> AND, of course, a helicopter just happened to be passing by 60 miles offshore
> to witness the explosion.... hm..

   Sub-hunting helicopters participate in exercises with P-3s.

Steve
stevenp@decwrl.dec.com