Lockheed P-3K2 Orion

I had a day off work last Thursday which practically guaranteed that the weather would be awful, which it was 😆.

I did get down to the Aero Club to give the Nanchang CJ6A a bit of a clean, but just before arriving, I saw a Royal New Zealand Air Force [RNZAF] operated Lockheed P-3K2 Orion, NZ4202, taxiing out.

An unusual feature people often asked about is the "spike" sticking out the back of the aircraft. This is a MAD [or Magnetic Anomaly Detector] which is designed to detect magnetic anomalies [its name says it all...], especially submarines that might be lurking around underwater.

Lockheed P-3K2 Orion, NZ4202, operated by the RNZAF

Lockheed P-3K2 Orion, NZ4202, operated by the RNZAF

These aircraft will be replaced by four Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft [derived from the Boeing 737 airliner]  over the next few years. The RNZAF's first set of instructors for the type are currently undergoing training in the USA.