Greek P-3B aircraft to start computing modernization efforts
NewsJanuary 29, 2019
SAN DIEGO. CP Technologies -- formerly known as Chassis Plans -- received a contract to modernize and update the mission control computers in the Greek P-3B aircraft used by the Hellenic navy and air force.
The contract was awarded to CP Technologies in May of 2018 and was rapidly prototyped in 12 weeks. CP Technologies will continue to support the program until the expiration of the contract in 2025.
The Hellenic air force (HAF) had five P-3Bs that had been in service since 1996. Assigned to the 353 Squadron based at Elefsis near Athens, these aircraft had been in storage pending a decision on the proposed Mid Life Upgrades (MLU). The modernization plan is a seven-year program and includes the maintenance and support of five of the six P-3B Orion turbo-prop aircraft transferred to Greece by the United States during 1991 and 1992.
In 2014, the US State Department approved a Foreign Military Sale to Greece for P-3B aircraft overhaul and upgrade as well as associated equipment, parts, training and logistical support for an estimated cost of $500 million.
The P-3 Orion is the standard for maritime patrol and reconnaissance, and is used for homeland security, anti-piracy operations, humanitarian relief, search and rescue, intelligence gathering, antisubmarine warfare and, recently, to assist in air traffic control and natural disaster relief support.
CP Technologies’ mission computers are used in the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) consoles onboard the aircraft and were designed to offer advanced computing technology in order to accommodate new ISR capabilities in the rough aircraft environment like Advance map rendering and GPS tracking, sensor, and surveillance data analysis, etc.
The unit is a fully sealed, convection cooled system that offers a high-performance balance of CPU/GPU processing. It was designed to accommodate and certified to operate under extreme environmental conditions.
