P-2 Neptune
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The Lockheed P-2 Neptune (designated P2V by the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
prior to September 1962) is a
maritime patrol {{Unreferenced, date=March 2008 Maritime patrol is the task of monitoring areas of water. Generally conducted by military and law enforcement agencies, maritime patrol is usually aimed at identifying human activities. Maritime patrol refers to ac ...
and
anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...
(ASW) aircraft. It was developed for the US Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon, and was replaced in turn by the
Lockheed P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.Vega Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, an ...
subsidiary as a private venture on 6 December 1941.Scutts ''Air International'' January 1995, pp. 42–43. At first, the new design was considered a low priority compared to other aircraft in development at the time, with Vega also developing and producing the
PV-2 Harpoon The Lockheed Ventura is a twin-engine medium bomber and patrol bomber of World War II. The Ventura first entered combat in Europe as a bomber with the RAF in late 1942. Designated PV-1 by the United States Navy (US Navy), it entered combat in 1 ...
patrol bomber. On 19 February 1943, the U.S. Navy signed a
letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a contract, legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a Heads of agreement ( ...
for two prototype XP2Vs, which was confirmed by a formal contract on 4 April 1944 with a further 15 aircraft being ordered 10 days later.Francillon 1982, pp. 258–259. It was not until 1944 that the program went into full swing.Francillon 1982, p. 259. A major factor in the design was ease of manufacture and maintenance, and this may have been a major factor in the type's long life and worldwide success. The first aircraft flew in May 1945. Production began in 1946, and the aircraft was accepted into service in 1947. Potential use as a bomber led to successful launches from aircraft carriers. Beginning with the P2V-5F model, the Neptune became one of the first operational aircraft fitted with both piston and jet engines. The
Convair B-36 The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest win ...
, several
Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter was a long-range heavy military cargo aircraft developed from the B-29 and B-50 bombers. Design work began in 1942, the first of three prototype XC-97s flew on 9 November 1944 (none saw combat), and the first of s ...
,
Fairchild C-123 Provider The Fairchild C-123 Provider is an American military transport aircraft designed by Chase Aircraft and then built by Fairchild Aircraft for the U.S. Air Force. In addition to its USAF service, which included later service with the Air Force Re ...
, and
Avro Shackleton The Avro Shackleton is a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) which was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the South African Air Force (SAAF). It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber, which itself had been a devel ...
aircraft were also so equipped. To save weight and complexity of two separate fuel systems, the
Westinghouse J34 The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 ...
jet engines on P2Vs burned the 115–145 Avgas fuel of the piston engines, instead of jet fuel. The jet pods were fitted with intake doors that remained closed when the J-34s were not running. This prevented windmilling, allowing for economical piston-engine-only long-endurance search and patrol operations. In normal US Navy operations, the jet engines were run at full power (97%) to assure takeoff, then shut down upon reaching a safe altitude. The jets were also started and kept running at flight idle during low-altitude ( during the day and at night) anti-submarine and/or anti-shipping operations as a safety measure should one of the radials develop problems. Normal crew access was via a ladder on the aft bulkhead of the nosewheel well to a hatch on the left side of the wheel well, then forward to the observer nose, or up through another hatch to the main deck. There was also a hatch in the floor of the aft fuselage, near the sonobuoy chutes.


Operational history


Early Cold War

Prior to the introduction of the P-3 Orion in the mid-1960s, the Neptune was the primary U.S. land-based anti-submarine patrol aircraft, intended to be operated as the hunter of a '"Hunter-Killer" group, with
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
s employed as killers. Several features aided the P-2 in its hunter role: *
Sonobuoy A sonobuoy (a portmanteau of sonar and buoy) is a relatively small buoy – typically diameter and long – expendable sonar system that is dropped/ejected from aircraft or ships conducting anti-submarine warfare or underwater acoustic resea ...
s could be launched from a station in the aft portion of the fuselage and monitored by radio * Some models were equipped with "pointable" twin machine guns in the nose, but most had a forward observation bubble with an observer seat, a feature often seen in images. * The AN/ASQ-8
Magnetic Anomaly Detector A magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) is an instrument used to detect minute variations in the Earth's magnetic field. The term refers specifically to magnetometers used by military forces to detect submarines (a mass of ferromagnetic material crea ...
was fitted in an extended tail, producing a paper chart. Unmarked charts were not classified, but those with annotations were classified as secret. * A belly-mounted
AN/APS-20 The AN/APS-20 was an airborne early warning, anti-submarine, maritime surveillance and weather radar developed in the United States in the 1940s. Entering service in 1945, it served for nearly half a century, finally being retired in 1991. Initi ...
surface-search radar enabled detection of surfaced and snorkeling submarines at considerable distances. As the P-2 was replaced in the US Navy by the P-3A Orion in active Fleet squadrons in the early and mid-1960s, the P-2 continued to remain operational in the Naval Air Reserve through the mid-1970s, primarily in its SP-2H version. As active Fleet squadrons transitioned to the P-3B and P-3C in the mid- and late-1960s and early 1970s, the Naval Air Reserve P-2s were eventually replaced by P-3As and P-3Bs and the P-2 exited active U.S. naval service.
VP-23 VP-23, Patrol Squadron 23, known as the ''Seahawks'', was a U.S. Navy fixed-wing, anti-submarine and maritime Patrol Squadron based at Brunswick Naval Air Station, Brunswick, Maine, United States. It was established as Weather Reconnaissance Squa ...
was the last active duty patrol squadron to operate the SP-2H, retiring its last Neptune on 20 February 1970, while the last Naval Reserve patrol squadron to operate the Neptune,
VP-94 VP-94 ''Crawfishers'' was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy Reserve. Originally established on 1 November 1970 at NAS Belle Chase, Louisiana, it was disestablished in September 2006. It was the second squadron to be designated VP-94, the first ...
, retired its last SP-2H in 1978.


Nuclear bomber

At the end of World War II, the US Navy felt the need to acquire a nuclear strike capability to maintain its political influence. In the short term, carrier-based aircraft were the best solution. The large
Fat Man "Fat Man" (also known as Mark III) is the codename for the type of nuclear bomb the United States detonated over the Japanese city of Nagasaki on 9 August 1945. It was the second of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in warfare, the fir ...
nuclear munitions at that time were bulky and required a very large aircraft to carry them. The US Navy Bureau of Ordnance built 25 outdated but more compact
Little Boy "Little Boy" was the type of atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on 6 August 1945 during World War II, making it the first nuclear weapon used in warfare. The bomb was dropped by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress ''Enola Gay'' p ...
nuclear bomb designs to be used in the smaller bomb bay of the P2V Neptune. There was enough fissionable material available by 1948 to build ten complete uranium projectiles and targets, although there were only enough initiators to complete six. The U.S. Navy improvised a carrier-based nuclear strike aircraft by modifying the P2V Neptune for carrier takeoff using jet assisted takeoff (
JATO JATO (acronym for jet-assisted take-off) is a type of assisted take-off for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets. The term ''JATO'' is used interchangeably with the (more specific ...
) rocket boosters, with initial takeoff tests in 1948. However, the Neptune could not land on a carrier, therefore the crew had to either make their way to a friendly land base after a strike, or ditch in the sea near a U.S. Navy vessel. It was replaced in this emergency role by the
North American AJ Savage The North American AJ Savage (later A-2 Savage) is an American carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based medium bomber built for the United States Navy by North American Aviation. The aircraft was designed shortly after World War II to carry atomic ...
, the first nuclear strike aircraft that was fully capable of carrier launch and recovery operations; it was also short-lived in that role as the US Navy was adopting fully jet powered nuclear strike aircraft.Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 458.


Covert operations P2V-7U/RB-69A variants

In 1954 under Project Cherry, the US
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
(CIA) obtained five newly built P2V-7 and converted these into P2V-7U/RB-69A variants by Lockheed's
Skunk Works Skunk Works is an official pseudonym for Lockheed Martin's Advanced Development Programs (ADP), formerly called Lockheed Advanced Development Projects. It is responsible for a number of aircraft designs, beginning with the P-38 Lightning in 1 ...
at Hangar B5 in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
, for the CIA's own private fleet of covert ELINT/ferret aircraft. Later, to make up for P2V-7U/RB-69A operational losses, the CIA obtained and converted two existing US Navy P2V-7s, one in September 1962, and one in December 1964 to P2V-7U/RB-69A Phase VI standard, and also acquired an older P2V-5 from the US Navy as a training aircraft in 1963. Test flights were made by lead aircraft at
Edwards AFB Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is Ed ...
from 1955 to 1956, all the aircraft painted with dark sea blue color but with
USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...
markings. In 1957 one P2V-7U was sent to
Eglin AFB Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in the western Florida Panhandle, located about southwest of Valparaiso in Okaloosa County. The host unit at Eglin is the 96th Test Wing (formerly the 96th Air Base Wing). The 9 ...
for testing aircraft performance at low level and under adverse conditions. The initial two aircraft were sent to Europe, based at
Wiesbaden Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
,
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, but were later withdrawn in 1959 when the CIA reduced its covert aircraft assets in Europe. The CIA sent the other two P2V-7U/RB-69As to
Hsinchu Air Base Hsinchu Airport ( zh, 新竹機場, ) is an airport and military airbase in North District, Hsinchu City, Taiwan. It was constructed during the era of Japanese rule on 19 May 1936 and was named . As of the late 1990s, the longest runway at H ...
, Taiwan, where by December 1957, they were given to a "
Black Op A black operation or black op is a covert or clandestine operation by a government agency, a military unit or a paramilitary organization; it can include activities by private companies or groups. Key features of a black operation are that it i ...
" unit, the 34th Squadron, better known as the
Black Bat Squadron Black Bat Squadron (), formally the 34th Squadron, was a squadron of CIA reconnaissance plane pilots and crew based in Taiwan during the Cold War. Citizens of the Republic of China flew missions over mainland China controlled by the People's Rep ...
, of the
Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force, retroactively known by its historical name the Chinese Air Force and unofficially referred to as the Taiwanese Air Force, is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces, currently based i ...
; these were painted in ROCAF markings. The ROCAF P2V-7U/RB-69A's mission was to conduct low-level penetration flights into
mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
to conduct ELINT/ferret missions including mapping out China's air defense networks, inserting agents via airdrop, and dropping leaflets and supplies. The agreement for
plausible deniability Plausible deniability is the ability of people, typically senior officials in a formal or informal chain of command, to denial, deny knowledge of or responsibility for any damnable actions committed by members of their organizational hierarchy. Th ...
between US and
Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...
(ROC) governments meant the RB-69A would be manned by ROCAF crew while conducting operational missions, but would be manned by CIA crew when ferrying RB-69A out of Taiwan or other operational area to US. The P2V-7U/RB-69A flew with ROCAF Black Bat Squadron over China from 1957 to November 1966. All five original aircraft (two crashed in South Korea, three shot down over China) were lost with all hands on board. In January 1967, two remaining RB-69As flew back to
NAS Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...
, California, and were converted back to regular US Navy P2V-7/SP-2H ASW aircraft configurations. Most of the 34th Squadron's Black Op missions remain classified by the CIA—though a CIA internal draft history, ''Low-Level Technical Reconnaissance over Mainland China (1955–66)'', reference CSHP-2.348, written in 1972 that covers CIA/ROCAF 34th Squadron's Black Op missions is known to exist. The CIA does not plan to declassify it until after 2022.


Vietnam War

During the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the Neptune was used by the US Navy as a gunship, as an overland reconnaissance and sensor deployment aircraft, and in its traditional role as a maritime patrol aircraft. The Neptune was also utilized by the US Army's 1st Radio Research Company (Aviation), call sign "Crazy Cat", based at
Cam Ranh Air Base Calmodulin (CaM) (an abbreviation for calcium-modulated protein) is a multifunctional intermediate calcium-binding messenger protein expressed in all eukaryotic cells. It is an intracellular target of the secondary messenger Ca2+, and the bind ...
in South Vietnam, as an electronic "ferret" aircraft intercepting low-powered tactical voice and
morse code Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...
radio signals.Mutza ''Air Enthusiast'' Twenty-nine, p. 42. The US Army operated the P-2 from 1967 until 1972, flying 42,500 hours with no accidents.Mutza ''Air Enthusiast'' Twenty-nine, p. 77. Observation Squadron 67 (VO-67), call sign "Lindy", was the only P-2 Neptune aircraft squadron to ever receive the Presidential Unit Citation, flying
Igloo White Operation Igloo White was a covert United States joint military electronic warfare operation conducted from late January 1968 until February 1973, during the Vietnam War. These missions were carried out by the 553d Reconnaissance Wing, a U.S. A ...
missions sowing seismic and acoustic sensors over the Ho Chi Minh trail. VO-67 lost three OP-2E aircraft and 20 aircrew to ground fire during its secret missions into Laos and Vietnam in 1967–68. The
Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force, retroactively known by its historical name the Chinese Air Force and unofficially referred to as the Taiwanese Air Force, is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces, currently based i ...
(ROCAF) secret 34th ''Black Bat'' Squadron's RB-69A/P2V-7U ELINT/SIGINT aircraft flew a low level electronic reconnaissance from
Da Nang Air Base Da Nang Air Base ( vi, Căn cứ không quân Đà Nẵng) (1930s–1975) (also known as Da Nang Airfield, Tourane Airfield or Tourane Air Base) was a French Air Force and later Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) facility located in the city ...
, flying over Thanh Hóa Province on 20 August 1963 to investigate an air resupply drop zone that turned out to be a trap for a ROCAF C-123B airdrop mission 10 days earlier due to the air-inserted agents having been captured and turned. Next year, an air defense radar mapping mission was also flown by 34th Squadron's RB-69A/P2V-7U aircraft into
North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...
and Laos on the night of 16 March 1964. The RB-69A took off from Da Nang, flew up the
Gulf of Tonkin The Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of . It is defined in the west and northwest by the northern ...
before coasting in near
Haiphong Haiphong ( vi, Hải Phòng, ), or Hải Phòng, is a major industrial city and the third-largest in Vietnam. Hai Phong is also the center of technology, economy, culture, medicine, education, science and trade in the Red River delta. Haiphong wa ...
, then flew down North Vietnam and the Laos border. The mission was requested by SOG for helping plan the insert or resupply of agents. Seven
AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA) Arts, entertainment, and me ...
sites, 14
early warning radar An early-warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as ''early'' as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the air defences the maximum t ...
sites and two GCI radar signals were detected.Pocock, Chris. ''The Black Bats: CIA Spy Flights Over China From Taiwan, 1951–1969''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2010. .


Falklands War

The
Argentine Naval Aviation ) Gulf War , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , commander1 = President , commander1_label = Commander-in-Chief , commander2 ...
had received at least 16 Neptunes of different variants since 1958 including eight former
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
examples for use in the Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Exploración (''Naval Exploration Squadron''). They were intensively used in 1978 during the
Operation Soberania Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music) Musical set theory provides concepts for categorizing musical objects ...
against Chile including over the Pacific Ocean. During the
Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...
in 1982, the last two airframes in service (2-P-111 and 2-P-112) carried out reconnaissance missions over the South Atlantic and on 4 May, after detecting a group of British warships, helped to direct an attack by two
Dassault Super Étendard Dassault Group (; also GIM Dassault or Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SAS) is a French group of companies established in 1929 with the creation of Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (now Dassault Aviation) by Marcel Dassault, and led by son ...
s that resulted in the sinking of the British destroyer . The lack of spare parts, caused by the US having enacted an arms embargo in 1977 due to the ''
Dirty War The Dirty War ( es, Guerra sucia) is the name used by the military junta or civic-military dictatorship of Argentina ( es, dictadura cívico-militar de Argentina, links=no) for the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1974 to 1983 a ...
'', led to the type being retired before the end of the war;
Argentine Air Force "Argentine Wings" , mascot = , anniversaries = 10 August (anniversary) 1 May (Baptism of fire during the Falklands War) , equipment = 139 aircraft , equipment_label = , battles = * Operation Independence * Operation Soberanía * Falklan ...
Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally design ...
took over the task of searching for targets for strike aircraft.


Other military operators

The Royal Canadian Air Force's Air Command replaced their aging
Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the Short Stirlin ...
maritime aircraft beginning in 1955 with P2V-7 Neptunes in the anti-submarine, anti-shipping, and maritime reconnaissance roles, as a stopgap pending deliveries of the
Canadair CP-107 Argus The Canadair CP-107 Argus (company designation CL-28) is a maritime patrol aircraft designed and manufactured by Canadair for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). In its early years, the Argus was reputedly the finest anti-submarine patrol bomb ...
, which began in 1960. Canadian Neptunes were delivered without the underwing Westinghouse J34 jet engine pods, which were retrofitted in 1959. Armament included two torpedoes, mines, depth charges, bombs carried internally plus unguided rockets mounted under the wings. Twenty five Neptunes served with 404, 405 and 407 squadrons until 1960. Upon unification of the Canadian Forces in 1968, the Neptune was re-designated the CP122 and was officially retired two years later. With the founding of
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
in 1949 and the resulting additional maritime commitments it entailed for Britain, The
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
Coastal Command RAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was founded in 1936, when the RAF was restructured into Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and played an important role during the Second World War. Maritime Aviation ...
operated 52 P2V-5s, designated Neptune MR.1, as a stop-gap modern maritime patrol aircraft until sufficient numbers of the
Avro Shackleton The Avro Shackleton is a British long-range maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) which was used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the South African Air Force (SAAF). It was developed by Avro from the Avro Lincoln bomber, which itself had been a devel ...
could enter service.Howard ''Air Pictorial'' August 1972, p. 284. The Neptunes were used from between 1952Howard ''Air Pictorial'' August 1972, p. 285. and March 1957,Howard ''Air Pictorial'' September 1972, p. 360. being used for
airborne early warning Airborne or Airborn may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Airborne'' (1962 film), a 1962 American film directed by James Landis * ''Airborne'' (1993 film), a comedy–drama film * ''Airborne'' (1998 film), an action film sta ...
experiments as well as for maritime patrol.Howard ''Air Pictorial'' August 1972, pp. 285–286. In Australia, the Netherlands, and the US Navy, its tasks were taken over by the larger and more capable P-3 Orion, and by the 1970s, it was in use only by patrol squadrons in the US Naval Reserve and the Dutch Navy. The 320 Squadron of the Royal Dutch Navy retired its last seven Neptune’s in March 1982 as they were being replaced by the Lockheed Orion. The US Naval Reserve retired its last Neptunes in 1978, those aircraft also having been replaced by the P-3 Orion. By the 1980s, the Neptune had fallen out of military use in most purchasing nations, replaced by newer aircraft. The Netherlands received its first Neptunes in 1953–54, when it acquired 12 P2V-5s. These remained in service until 1960, when they were transferred to Portugal. The P2V-5s were initially not replaced, with the anti-submarine aircraft requirement being met by carrier-borne
Grumman S-2 Tracker The Grumman S-2 Tracker (S2F prior to 1962) was the first purpose-built, single airframe anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to enter service with the United States Navy. Designed and initially built by Grumman, the Tracker was of conventiona ...
s. A new, urgent, requirement for maritime patrol aircraft soon developed, for service over
Dutch New Guinea Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea ( nl, Nederlands-Nieuw-Guinea, id, Nugini Belanda) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingdo ...
, and 15 new P2V-7s were purchased, entering service from September 1961. While initially employed on reconnaissance and patrol duties, as Indonesian infiltration attempts against New Guinea increased, the Neptunes added bombing and strafing operations to their patrol duties. On 17 May 1962, a Netherlands Navy Neptune shot down an Indonesian
C-47 The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (Royal Air Force, RAF, Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF, Royal Canadian Air Force, RCAF, Royal New Zealand Air Force, RNZAF, and South African Air Force, SAAF designation) is a airlift, military transport ai ...
transport. A truce ended the conflict in September 1962, with Dutch New Guinea passing to UN control before becoming part of Indonesia, and the P2V-7s returned to Europe. The aircraft were upgraded to SP-2H standard soon after returning to the Netherlands, and remained in service until March 1982, when they were replaced by Lockheed Orions. In Japan, the Neptune was license-built from 1966 by Kawasaki as the P-2J, with the piston engines replaced by
IHI Ihi, Ehee (Nepal Bhasa:ईही) is a ceremony in the Newar community in Nepal in which pre-adolescent girls are "married" to the Suvarna Kumar which is a symbol of the god Vishnu, ensuring that the girl becomes and remains fertile. It is bel ...
-built T64 turboprops. Kawasaki continued their manufacture much later than Lockheed did; the P-2J remained in service until 1984.


Civilian firefighting

P-2/P2Vs have been employed in
aerial firefighting Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands *Aerial (Canadian band) * Aerial (Scottish band) * Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art * Aerial sil ...
roles by operators such as Minden Air Corp and Neptune Aviation Services. The fire fighters can carry of retardant and have a service life of 15,000 hours. Neptune Aviation Services proposes to replace them with
British Aerospace 146 The British Aerospace 146 (also BAe 146) is a short-haul and regional airliner that was manufactured in the United Kingdom by British Aerospace, later part of BAE Systems. Production ran from 1983 until 2001. Manufacture by Avro International ...
aircraft, which have an estimated service life of 80,000 hours and carry upwards of of retardant.


"The Truculent Turtle"

The third production P2V-1 was chosen for a record-setting mission, ostensibly to test crew endurance and long-range navigation but also for publicity purposes: to display the capabilities of the US Navy's latest patrol bomber, and to surpass the standing record set by a Japanese
Tachikawa Ki-77 The Tachikawa Ki-77 was a Japanese very long-range experimental transport and communications aircraft of World War II derived from a design commissioned by a newspaper to break the flight distance record set by a rival. It was a low-wing cabin mo ...
. Its nickname was ''The Turtle'', which was painted on the aircraft's nose (along with a cartoon of a turtle smoking a pipe pedaling a device attached to a propeller). However, in press releases immediately before the flight, the US Navy referred to it as "The Truculent Turtle". Loaded with fuel in extra tanks fitted in practically every spare space in the aircraft, "The Turtle" set out from
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
, Australia to the United States. With a crew of four (and a nine-month-old gray
kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
, a gift from Australia for the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.) the aircraft set off on 9 September 1946, with a
RATO Rato is a village in the Cornillon commune in the Croix-des-Bouquets Arrondissement, Ouest department of Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located o ...
(rocket-assisted takeoff). days (55h, 18m) later, "The Turtle" touched down in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
after . It was the longest un-refueled flight yet beating the unofficial record set by the Japanese Tachikawa Ki-77. This would stand as the absolute unrefueled distance record until 1962 when it was beaten by a USAF
Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the United States Air ...
, and would remain as a piston-engined record until 1986 when the
Rutan Voyager The Rutan Model 76 Voyager was the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. It was piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager. The flight took off from Edwards Air Force Base's 15,000 foot (4,600 m) runway in the Mojav ...
broke it circumnavigating the globe. "The Turtle" is preserved at the
National Museum of Naval Aviation The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1962 and moved to its curr ...
at
NAS Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
.


Variants

Lockheed produced seven main variants of the P2V. In addition, Kawasaki built the turboprop-powered P-2J in Japan. ;XP2V-1 :Prototype, two built. Powered by two Wright R-3350-8 engines with four-bladed propellers, with armament of two .50 in machine guns in nose, tail and dorsal turrets, and of stores in an internal bomb bay. ;P2V-1 :First production model with R-3350-8A engine. Provision for 16
HVAR Hvar (; Chakavian: ''Hvor'' or ''For'', el, Φάρος, Pharos, la, Pharia, it, Lesina) is a Croatian island in the Adriatic Sea, located off the Dalmatian coast, lying between the islands of Brač, Vis and Korčula. Approximately long, wi ...
or 4 Tiny Tim rockets underwing; 14 built.Scutts ''Air International'' January 1995, p. 43. ;XP2V-2 :Fifth production P2V-1 modified as a prototype for P2V-2. Powered by water injected R-3350-24W engines.Francillon 1982, p. 260. ;P2V-2 :Second production model, powered by two R-3350-24W engines driving three-bladed propellers. Nose turret replaced by "attack" nose fitted with six fixed 20 mm cannon. First eight aircraft retained Bell tail turret fitted with twin .50 (12.7 mm) machine guns, with remaining aircraft using Emerson tail turret with twin 20 mm cannon. 80 built. ;P2V-2N "Polar Bear" :Two P2V-2 modified for polar exploration under Project ''Ski Jump''. Armament removed, with ski landing gear and provision for
JATO JATO (acronym for jet-assisted take-off) is a type of assisted take-off for helping overloaded aircraft into the air by providing additional thrust in the form of small rockets. The term ''JATO'' is used interchangeably with the (more specific ...
rockets. Fitted with early MAD gear for magnetic survey purposes. Used for
Operation Deep Freeze Operation Deep Freeze (OpDFrz or ODF) is codename for a series of United States missions to Antarctica, beginning with "Operation Deep Freeze I" in 1955–56, followed by "Operation Deep Freeze II", "Operation Deep Freeze III", and so on. (There w ...
Antarctic exploration.Sullivan 1985, p. 12. The specially modified P2Vs had long aluminum skis that were attached to the main landing gear units that when retracted, tucked into fairing just below the engines. This way the modified P2Vs could still land on a regular runway surface. ;P2V-2S :One P2V-2 modified as a prototype anti-submarine variant with an
AN/APS-20 The AN/APS-20 was an airborne early warning, anti-submarine, maritime surveillance and weather radar developed in the United States in the 1940s. Entering service in 1945, it served for nearly half a century, finally being retired in 1991. Initi ...
search radar and additional fuel.Francillon 1982, p. 261. ;P2V-3 :Improved patrol bomber with R-3350-26W engines with jet stack engine exhausts. 53 built.Scutts ''Air International'' January 1995, p. 45. ;P2V-3B :Conversions from other P2V-3 models, including P2V-3C and −3W, fitted with the ASB-1 Low Level Radar Bombing System; 16 converted. Redesignated as P-2C in 1962.Sullivan 1985, p. 16. ;P2V-3C :Stop-gap carrier based one-way nuclear-armed bomber, not intended to return for a landing on a carrier. Fitted with JATO rocket to aid take-off from carrier and more fuel. Nose guns and dorsal turret removed to save weight. 11 P2V-3s and one P2V-2 modified.Francillon 1982, p. 262. ;P2V-3W :Airborne Early Warning variant, AN/APS-20 search radar; 30 built. ;P2V-3Z :VIP combat transport with armored cabin in rear fuselage with seats for six passengers. Retained tail turret. Two converted from P2V-3s. ;P2V-4 :Improved anti-submarine aircraft. Fitted with AN/APS-20 search radar and provision for dropping sonobuoys with additional dedicated sonobuoy operator. Underwing tip-tanks added, with searchlight in nose of starboard tip tank. Gun Turrets in tail and dorsal position. First 25 aircraft powered by R-3350-26WA engines, with remaining 27 powered by Wright R-3350-30W
turbo-compound engine A turbo-compound engine is a reciprocating engine that employs a turbine to recover energy from the exhaust gases. Instead of using that energy to drive a turbocharger as found in many high-power aircraft engines, the energy is instead sent to ...
s. 52 built in total. Surviving aircraft redesignated P-2D in 1962.Sullivan 1985, p. 21. ;P2V-5 :Fitted with Emerson nose turret with two 20 mm cannon replacing solid nose of earlier versions, while retaining dorsal and tail turrets. New, larger, jettisonable tip tanks, with traversable searchlight slaved to nose turret in front of starboard tip-tank and AN/APS-8 radar in nose of port tip-tank. AN/APS-20 search radar under fuselage. Later aircraft featured glazed observation nose and MAD gear in place of nose and tail turrets, and revised crew accommodation, with many earlier aircraft refitted.Sullivan 1985, p. 27.Francillon 1982, p. 263. Dorsal turret often removed. 424 built.Scutts ''Air International'' January 1995, p. 46. ;P2V-5F :Modification with two J34 jet engines to increase power on take-off, and R-3350-32W piston engines.Francillon 1982, pp. 263–264. The J34 engines and R-3350 had a common fuel system burning AvGas rather than having dedicated jet fuel (as did all Neptunes with jets except the Kawasaki P-2J). Four underwing rocket pylons removed but increased weapon load. Redesignated P-2E in 1962.Francillon 1982, p. 264. ;P2V-5FD :P2V-5F converted for drone launch missions. All weaponry deleted. Redesignated DP-2E in 1962. ;P2V-5FE :P2V-5F with additional electronic equipment. Redesignated EP-2E in 1962. ;P2V-5FS :P2V-5F with Julie/Jezebel ASW gear, featuring AQA-3 long range acoustic search equipment and Julie explosive echo sounding gear. Redesignated SP-2E in 1962. ;P2V-5JF :P2V-5F modified for weather reconnaissance, to include tropical storm/hurricane/typhoon penetrations, with Airborne Early Warning Squadron THREE (VW-3) and Weather Reconnaissance Squadron FOUR (VW-4) ;AP-2E :Designation applied to P2V-5F with special SIGINT/ELINT equipment used by the US Army's 1st Radio Research Company at Cam Ranh Bay Air Base. Carrying a crew of up to fifteen, the AP-2E was the heaviest P-2, with a take-off weight of up to .Scutts ''Air International'' February 1995, p. 82. Five converted (also designated RP-2E).Mutza ''Air Enthusiast'' Twenty-nine, pp. 39–40. ;NP-2E :Single P-2E converted as permanent test aircraft. ;OP-2E :Modified for use as part of
Operation Igloo White Operation Igloo White was a covert United States joint military electronic warfare operation conducted from late January 1968 until February 1973, during the Vietnam War. These missions were carried out by the 553d Reconnaissance Wing, a U.S. A ...
for sensor deployment over South-East Asia with Observation Squadron 67 (VO-67). Fitted with terrain avoidance radar in nose, chaff dispensers, wing mounted gun pods and waist guns. 12 converted. ;P2V-6 :Multi-role version with lengthened weapons bay and provision for aerial minelaying and photo-reconnaissance. Smaller AN/APS-70 radar instead of AN/APS-20. Initially fitted with gun turrets as P2V-5, though retaining the ability to be refitted with glazed nose. A total of 67 were built for the US Navy and France.Scutts ''Air International'' February 1995, p. 81. Redesignated P-2F in 1962.Sullivan 1985, p. 70. ;P2V-6B :Anti-shipping version with provision to carry two
AUM-N-2 Petrel The AUM-N-2 Petrel, also known as Kingfisher C and AUM-2, was an air-to-surface missile produced as part of Project Kingfisher for the United States Navy. Intended for use against enemy surface ships and surfaced submarines, giving aircraft the ...
anti-ship missile An anti-ship missile (AShM) is a guided missile that is designed for use against ships and large boats. Most anti-ship missiles are of the sea skimming variety, and many use a combination of inertial guidance and active radar homing. A good ...
s. 16 built. Later redesignated P2V-6M then MP-2F in 1962. ;P2V-6F :P2V-6 refitted with J34 jet engines. Redesignated P-2G in 1962. ;P2V-6T :Crew trainer conversion with armament deleted, wingtip tanks often deleted. Redesignated TP-2F in 1962. ;P2V-7 :Last Neptune variant produced by Lockheed, powered by R-3350-32W and J-34 engines. Fitted with lower drag wingtip tanks, AN/APS-20 search radar in a revised radome and a bulged cockpit canopy. Early aircraft were fitted with defensive gun turrets but these were removed as for the P2V-5.Sullivan 1985, p. 43. 287 were built, including 48 assembled by Kawasaki in Japan. Redesignated P-2H in 1962.Scutts ''Air International'' February 1995, p. 87. ;P2V-7B :15 aircraft with non-glazed nose fitted with four fixed 20 mm cannon for Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service. Subsequently fitted with glazed nose and modified to SP-2H standard. Supplemented by four SP-2H from France.Scutts ''Air International'' February 1995, p. 86. ;P2V-7LP : Four aircraft built with wheel/ski landing gear and JATO gear for Antarctic operations. Redesignated LP-2J in 1962. (No relation to Kawasaki P-2J) ;P2V-7S :Additional ASW/ECM equipment including Julie/Jezebel gear. Redesignated SP-2H in 1962.Francillon 1982, p. 266. ;P2V-7U :Naval designation of the RB-69A variant. ;AP-2H :Specialized night and all-weather ground attack variant fitted with
FLIR Forward-looking infrared (FLIR) cameras, typically used on military and civilian aircraft, use a thermographic camera that senses infrared radiation. The sensors installed in forward-looking infrared cameras, as well as those of other thermal ...
and Low Light TV systems, tail turret, fuselage mounted grenade launchers and downwards firing
miniguns The M134 Minigun is an American 7.62×51mm NATO six-barrel rotary machine gun with a high rate of fire (2,000 to 6,000 rounds per minute). It features a Gatling-style rotating barrel assembly with an external power source, normally an electri ...
. Bombs and
napalm Napalm is an incendiary mixture of a gelling agent and a volatile petrochemical (usually gasoline (petrol) or diesel fuel). The name is a portmanteau of two of the constituents of the original thickening and gelling agents: coprecipitated al ...
carried on underwing pylons. Four converted in 1968 for Heavy Attack Squadron 21 (VAH-21) for operation over South Vietnam. ;DP-2H :P-2H converted for drone launch and control.Francillon 1982, p. 267. ;EP-2H :Single P-2H modified with UHF telemetry equipment instead of ASW systems. ;NP-2H :Testbed conversion of P2V-H. ;RB-69A :Five new built and two converted from P2V-7s for CIA covert operations, obtained with USAF help and operated by ROCAF 34th Squadron. Aerial reconnaissance/ELINT platform, modular sensor packages fitted depended on the mission needs. Originally fitted with Westinghouse APQ-56 Side Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR), the APQ-24 search radar, the Fairchild Mark IIIA cameras, the APR-9/13 radar intercept receiver, the QRC-15 DF system, the APA-69A DF display, the APA-74 pulse analyser, the Ampex tape recorder, the System 3 receiver to intercept enemy communications, the APS-54 RWR, a noise jammer, the RADAN system doppler radar navigation, and others. In May 1959, an upgrade program known as Phase VI was approved, and added the ATIR air-to-air radar jammer, replacing APR-9/13 with ALQ-28 ferret system, the QRC-15, 3 14-channel recorders and 1 7-channel high speed recorder to record ELINT systems, the K-band receiver, the ASN-7 navigation computer replacing RADAN, and Fulton Skyhook system. ;Neptune MR.1 :British designation of P2V-5; 52 delivered.Scutts ''Air International'' February 1995, pp. 80–81. ;CP-122 Neptune :
RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environme ...
designation of P2V-7.(jet pod not initially fitted to 25 P2V-7 aircraft delivered to RCAF, but subsequently retrofitted) ;
Kawasaki P-2J The Kawasaki P-2J (originally P2V-Kai) is a maritime patrol aircraft, maritime patrol and Anti-submarine warfare, ASW aircraft developed for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. A turboprop-powered version of the radial-engined P-2 Neptune, th ...
(P2V-Kai) :Japanese variant produced by Kawasaki for JMSDF with T64 turboprop engines, various other improvements; 82 built.


Operators


Military operators

; *
Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...
Argentine Naval Aviation ) Gulf War , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , commander1 = President , commander1_label = Commander-in-Chief , commander2 ...
(eight units) ** ''Escuadrilla Aeronaval de Exploracion'' ; *
Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
** No. 10 Squadron RAAF ** No. 11 Squadron RAAF ; *
Brazilian Air Force "Wings that protect the country" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Hino dos Aviadores , mascot = , anniversaries = 22 May (anniver ...
(14 units) ** 1°/7° ''Grupo de Aviação'' ; *
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
**
No. 404 Squadron RCAF The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...
**
No. 405 Squadron RCAF The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...
**
No. 407 Squadron RCAF The numero sign or numero symbol, №, (also represented as Nº, No, No. or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, t ...
; *
French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
**
French Naval Aviation French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: ''Aéronavale'' (contraction of Aéronautique navale), or ''Aviation navale'', or more simply ''l'Aéro'') is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is ' ...
21F Squadron **
French Naval Aviation French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: ''Aéronavale'' (contraction of Aéronautique navale), or ''Aviation navale'', or more simply ''l'Aéro'') is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is ' ...
23F Squadron ; *
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...
** Air Patrol Squadron 3 (JMSDF) **
Air Patrol Squadron 2 (JMSDF) (also referred to as VP-2 or Fleet Air Squadron 2) is a unit of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force. It is a part of Fleet Air Wing 4 and is based at JMSDF Hachinohe Air Base in Aomori Prefecture. It is equipped with Lockheed P-3C Orion ...
**
Air Development Squadron 51 (JMSDF) (which is also referred to as Fleet Air Squadron 51 or VX-51) is a unit in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force. It is a part of the Fleet Air Force and is based at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Kanagawa prefecture. History Founding and early ...
; *
Dutch Naval Aviation Service The Netherlands Naval Aviation Service ( nl, Marineluchtvaartdienst, shortened to MLD) is the naval aviation branch of the Royal Netherlands Navy. History World War I Although the MLD was formed in 1914, with the building of a seaplane bas ...
; *
Portuguese Air Force , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = 1 July , equipment = , equipment_label ...
(12 units) ** ''Esquadra 61'',
Montijo Air Base Montijo Air Base ( pt, Base Aérea do Montijo) - officially known as Air Base No. 6 (''Base Aérea n.º 6'') or BA6 - is a military air base located in Montijo, Portugal. The base is home to three transport squadrons and one helicopter search and ...
** Detachment 61, Bissalanca Air Base (
Portuguese Guinea Portuguese Guinea ( pt, Guiné), called the Overseas Province of Guinea from 1951 until 1972 and then State of Guinea from 1972 until 1974, was a West African colony of Portugal from 1588 until 10 September 1974, when it gained independence as Gu ...
) and Sal Air Base (
Cape Verde , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...
) ** Detachment 62, Luanda Air Base (
Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...
) ** Detachment 63, Beira Air Base (
Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...
) ; *
Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force, retroactively known by its historical name the Chinese Air Force and unofficially referred to as the Taiwanese Air Force, is the military aviation branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces, currently based i ...
** 34th Black Bat Squadron ; *
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
** No. 36 Squadron RAF ** No. 203 Squadron RAF **
No. 210 Squadron RAF ("Hovering in the Heavens")Halley 1988, p. 274. , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries= , decorations= , battle_honours= Western Front, 1916–18 Ypres 1917 Lys Atlantic 1939–45 A ...
**
No. 217 Squadron RAF No. 217 Squadron RAF was a squadron of the RAF. It was formed and disbanded four times between 1 April 1918 and 13 November 1959. In World War I it served in a strike role against enemy bases and airfields in Belgium. In World War II as part ...
** No. 236 Operational Conversion Unit RAF ; *
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
*
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
* United States Navy *
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
operated seven RB-69A in USAF colors.


Civilian operators

*
Aero Union Aero Union Corporation was an aircraft operation and maintenance company based in Chico, California, United States. It was known for operating aerial firefighting aircraft, training crews and making custom designed firefighting systems tailo ...


Accidents and incidents

* On 27 November 1950 a P2V-2 crashed while conducting a test run with rockets near
Kaena Point Kaena or Kaena Point is the westernmost tip of land on the island of Oahu. In Hawaiian, ''kaena'' means 'the heat'. The area was named after a brother or cousin of Pele. The point is designated as a Natural Area Reserve. Some ancient Hawaii ...
in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
. The starboard wing separated from the aircraft. The crew of five died on impact. * On 6 November 1951 a P2V of
VP-6 VP-6 was a long-lived Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy, nicknamed the ''Blue Sharks''. Originally established as Bombing Squadron VB-146 on 15 July 1943, it was redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-146 on 1 October 1944, redesignated VP-146 on ...
carrying out a weather reconnaissance mission over
international waters The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regiona ...
off
Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
was attacked and shot down by a number of
MiG-15 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (russian: Микоя́н и Гуре́вич МиГ-15; USAF/DoD designation: Type 14; NATO reporting name: Fagot) is a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of ...
s. All ten crew were killed. * On 5 January 1952 a Lockheed P2V-2 Neptune (122443) operated by the United States Navy undershot the runway at RAF Burtonwood and collided with a USAF Douglas C-47 (42-100912). One crew member on the Neptune and six others on the C-47 were killed. Fifteen others were injured, 11 on the Neptune and 4 on the C-47. * On 18 January 1953 a P2V of
VP-22 VP-22 was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 4D-14 (VP-4D14) on 15 September 1928, redesignated Patrol Squadron 4-B (VP-4B) on 21 January 1931, redesignated Patrol Squadron 4-F (VP-4F) on 17 July ...
was shot down off
Swatow Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative ...
in the Formosa Straits by Chinese anti-aircraft fire. 11 of 13 crewmen were rescued by a
US Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and maritime law enforcement, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...
PBM-5 under fire from
shore batteries In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...
on Nan Ao Tao island. Attempting to takeoff in 8 to 12-foot swell, the PBM crashed. Ten survivors out of 19 total (including five from the P2V) were rescued by . During the search effort, a PBM-5 from
VP-40 VP-40 was a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Patrol Squadron 55 (VP-55) on 1 August 1940, redesignated Patrol Squadron 74 (VP-74) on 1 July 1941, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 74 (VPB-74) on 1 October 1944, ...
received fire from a small-caliber machine gun, and received fire from shore batteries. * On 4 September 1954 a P2V-5 of VP-19 operating from
NAS Atsugi is a joint Japan-US naval air base located in the cities of Yamato and Ayase in Kanagawa, Japan. It is the largest United States Navy (USN) air base in the Pacific Ocean and once housed the squadrons of Carrier Air Wing Five (CVW-5), which d ...
ditched in the
Sea of Japan The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it h ...
, off the coast of
Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...
after an attack by two
Soviet Air Forces The Soviet Air Forces ( rus, Военно-воздушные силы, r=Voyenno-vozdushnyye sily, VVS; literally "Military Air Forces") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces. The Air Forces ...
MiG-15s. One crewmen was killed, and the other nine were rescued by a USAF
Grumman Albatross The Grumman HU-16 Albatross is a large, twin–radial engined amphibious seaplane that was used by the United States Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Navy (USN), and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), primarily as a search and rescue (SAR) aircraft. Origina ...
amphibian. * On 22 June 1955 a P2V-5 of
VP-9 Patrol Squadron 9 (VP-9) is a U.S. Navy patrol squadron with its homeport located at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island. As of 2018, VP-9 is part of Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing Ten, Commander, Naval Air Forces, Pacific. The squadron was establ ...
, flying a patrol mission from NAS Kodiak, Alaska, was attacked over the Bering Straits by two Soviet Air Forces MiG-15s. The P2V crash-landed on
St. Lawrence Island St. Lawrence Island ( ess, Sivuqaq, russian: Остров Святого Лаврентия, Ostrov Svyatogo Lavrentiya) is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait. The village of Gambell, located on t ...
after an engine was set afire. Of the 11 crew members, four sustained injuries due to gunfire and six were injured during the landing. The US government demanded $724,947 in compensation; the USSR finally paid half this amount. * On 10 October 1956 a P2V-5 of No. 36 Squadron RAF (WX545) crashed into the side of Beinn na Lice,
Mull of Kintyre The Mull of Kintyre is the southwesternmost tip of the Kintyre Peninsula (formerly ''Cantyre'') in southwest Scotland. From here, the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland is visible on a calm and clear day, and a historic lighthouse, the second ...
, southwest Scotland, killing all nine crew members. WX545 was returning from an anti-submarine exercise off
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
, Northern Ireland to its base at
RAF Topcliffe Royal Air Force Topcliffe or RAF Topcliffe is a Royal Air Force station in North Yorkshire, England. It was established as a RAF Bomber Command station in 1940. The British Army took over a large part of the site in 1974 and the airfield beca ...
in
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...
, England. Beinn na Lice was hidden by fog, and a member of 36 Squadron alleges that the aircraft in the exercise had been ordered not to use radar in inshore waters. * On 12 April 1957 a P2V-5F of VP-26 crashed on take-off during a short takeoff practice exercise at
NAS Brunswick Naval Air Station Brunswick , also known as NAS Brunswick, was a military airport located southeast of Brunswick, Maine, with a number of Navy-operated maritime patrol aircraft. As of November 28, 2009, the last aircraft ( P-3 Orions) left. The ...
, Maine. The apparent cause was a run-away varicam elevator control, which caused a hammerhead stall at very low altitude. The aircraft did an overhead loop reversing its direction but crashed into the woods near the take off end of the runway next to the base golf course. There were no survivors. * On 21 July 1957 a US Navy Neptune searching for a sister P2V Neptune crashed near Mount Pra, Italy near the French border killing 9 airmen. The P2V being searched for disappeared two days earlier, 19 July, with 11 on board on a flight from Casablanca to Treviso. * On 1 February 1958 USAF C-118A 53-3277 collided in mid-air with US Navy Lockheed P2V Neptune 127723 over
Norwalk, California Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census and an estimated 103,949 in 2019. It is the 58th most densely-populated ...
, killing 47 of 49 on board both aircraft and one person on the ground. * On 4 February 1959 RAAF A89-308 crashed at
RAAF Richmond RAAF Base Richmond is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located within the City of Hawkesbury, approximately North-West of the Sydney Central Business District in New South Wales, Australia. Situated between the towns of W ...
, NSW, Australia. All eight crew died. The port engine began to disintegrate causing a fuel leak in the wheel well. The resulting fire severed the magnesium wing spar, and the aircraft fell from the sky before the crew could bail out. * On 25 March 1960 an ROCAF RB-69A/P2V-7U (7101/140442/54-4040) crashed into a hill near
Kunsan Air Base Kunsan K-8 Air Base is a United States Air Force base located at Gunsan Airport, on the west coast of the South Korean peninsula bordered by the Yellow Sea. It is located in the town of Gunsan (also romanized as Kunsan), about south of Seoul. ...
, South Korea, during a low level ferry flight from
Hsinchu, Taiwan Hsinchu (, Chinese: 新竹, Pinyin: ''Xīnzhú'', Wade–Giles: ''Hsin¹-chu²'') is a city located in northwestern Taiwan. It is the most populous city in Taiwan Province not among the special municipalities, with estimated 450,655 inhabi ...
to stage area in Kunsan, South Korea. All 14 aircrew on board were killed. * On 6 November 1961 an ROCAF RB-69A/P2V-7U (7099/140440/54-4039) conducting a low level penetration flight over mainland China was shot down by ground fire over
Liaodong peninsula The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Peninsula, ) is a peninsula in southern Liaoning province in Northeast China, and makes up the southwestern coastal half of the Liaodong region. It is located between the mouths of the Daliao River (the ...
. All 14 aircrew on board were killed in action. * On 9 November 1961 an P2V-7LP of
VX-6 Air Development Squadron Six (VX-6 or AIRDEVRON SIX, commonly referred to by its nickname, "puckered penguins") was a United States Navy Air Development Squadron based at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Established at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, ...
crashed on takeoff from
Wilkes Station Wilkes Station was an Antarctic research station established 29 January 1957 by the United States as one of seven U.S. stations established for the International Geophysical Year (IGY) program in Antarctica. It was taken over by Australia o ...
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
, where it had refuelled en route back to
McMurdo Station McMurdo Station is a United States Antarctic research station on the south tip of Ross Island, which is in the New Zealand-claimed Ross Dependency on the shore of McMurdo Sound in Antarctica. It is operated by the United States through the Unit ...
. Four aircrew and one passenger were killed, with four aircrew surviving."The Crash of Buno 140439."
''radiocom.net.'' Retrieved: 20 May 2012.
* On 8 January 1962 a ROCAF RB-69A/P2V-7U(7097/140438/54-4038) crashed into the
Korea Bay The Korea Bay, sometimes the West Korea Bay (; ; or ), is a bight and the northern extension of the Yellow Sea, between the southeastern coastline of China's Liaoning province and the western coastline of North Korea's North Pyongan, South P ...
while conducting
ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...
and leaflet dropping missions. All 14 aircrew on board were killed in action. * On 12 January 1962 a P2V-5 (designation LA-9) of VP-5 flew off course during a patrol over the
Denmark Strait The Denmark Strait () or Greenland Strait ( , 'Greenland Sound') is an oceanic strait between Greenland to its northwest and Iceland to its southeast. The Norwegian island of Jan Mayen lies northeast of the strait. Geography The strait connect ...
and crashed on the
Kronborg Glacier Kronborg Glacier ( da, Kronborg Gletscher) is a glacier on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet. It is named after Kronborg Castle in Denmark. Administratively this glacier is part of the Sermersooq Municipality. Google Earth The area surrou ...
in eastern Greenland. All 12 crew were killed. The wreckage was discovered by a party of British geologists in 1966. * On 19 June 1963 an ROCAF RB-69A/P2V-7U (7105/141233/54-4041) was conducting ELINT mission over mainland China, and was shot down by
PLAAF The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the P ...
MiG-17PF The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-17; NATO reporting name: Fresco) is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 ...
over
Linchuan, Jiangxi Linchuan District () is one of two District of the People's Republic of China, districts of the city of Fuzhou, Jiangxi, Fuzhou, Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. Before A.D. 762, the administration region located in Chi gang, since th ...
, after being intercepted repeatedly by multiple MiG-17PFs and Tu-4Ps. All 14 aircrew on board were killed in action. * On 11 June 1964 a RB-69A/P2V-7U (7047/135612/54-4037) was conducting
ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ( ...
mission over mainland China, and was shot down by PLAN-AF MiG-15 over
Shandong peninsula The Shandong (Shantung) Peninsula or Jiaodong (Chiaotung) Peninsula is a peninsula in Shandong Province in eastern China, between the Bohai Sea to the north and the Yellow Sea to the south. The latter name refers to the east and Jiaozhou. G ...
, after intercepted by MiG-15s and Il-28s. All 13 aircrew on board were killed in action. * On 22 January 1965 an RCAF P2V-7 #24115 crashed short of the runway at
CFB Summerside Canadian Forces Base Summerside (CFB Summerside) was an air force base located in St. Eleanors, Prince Edward Island, Canada, now part of the city of Summerside. RCAF Station Summerside World War II The airfield was constructed by the Royal Ca ...
, Prince Edward Island due to running out of battery power to run the fuel pumps to the J-34 jet engines. 24115 had lost one reciprocating engine and the generator failed on the other plus the fact that Canadian Neptunes had no generators on the jets leading to the loss of all thrust and the subsequent crash. * On 22 January 1965, just before midnight, an MLD SP-2H (212) was taken from Vliegkamp Valkenburg, near
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
, by two young aircraft mechanics lacking any flying experience. They managed to get the plane airborne, but stalled shortly after take-off. It crashed into the
North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
, a few hundred metres offshore of the fishing town of
Katwijk Katwijk (), also spelled Katwyk, is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands. The Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and into the North Se ...
. The investigation report concluded that it was a drunken prank. * On 3 December 1967, a Lockheed P-2E aircraft departed the Brunswick Naval Air Station for a routine patrol flight. At some point the aircraft developed mechanical problems and received clearance to land at Otis Air Force Base. As the aircraft was making its final approach it crashed a half-mile short of the runway. All twelve men aboard escaped; four of them suffered minor injuries

* On 15 September 1976 an
Argentine Navy The Argentine Navy (ARA; es, Armada de la República Argentina). This forms the basis for the navy's ship prefix "ARA". is the navy of Argentina. It is one of the three branches of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, together with the ...
Lockheed Neptune aircraft flew on a reconnaissance mission from
Rio Gallegos Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
to survey the sea ice conditions in
Drake Passage The Drake Passage (referred to as Mar de Hoces Hoces Sea"in Spanish-speaking countries) is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atla ...
at the beginning of the summer navigation season. The plane crashed in poor weather on the then uninhabited
Livingston Island Livingston Island (Russian name ''Smolensk'', ) is an Antarctic island in the Southern Ocean, part of the South Shetlands Archipelago, a group of Antarctic islands north of the Antarctic Peninsula. It was the first land discovered south of 60 ...
, Antarctica, killing all 10 aircrew and a civilian television cameraman. * On 5 September 2008 a
Neptune Aviation Services Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
Lockheed Neptune registered N4235T, crashed soon after takeoff from Reno/Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada. The left engine and then left wing were seen to catch fire before the aircraft crashed. All three crew members on board were killed. * On 3 June 2012, while engaged in firefighting operations in Utah, a
Neptune Aviation Services Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
Lockheed Neptune registered N14447, crashed. Two crew members were killed.


Surviving aircraft

There are a few Neptunes that have been restored and are on display in museums and parks.


Argentina

;On display ;;SP-2H * 2-P-112 – Museo Aeronaval (MUAN) of
Argentine Naval Aviation ) Gulf War , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , commander1 = President , commander1_label = Commander-in-Chief , commander2 ...
. This is the Neptune that tracked HMS ''Sheffield''.


Australia

;Airworthy ;;SP-2H * 149073 – Historical Aircraft Restoration Society,
Illawarra Regional Airport Shellharbour Airport, formerly Illawarra Regional Airport, also referred as Albion Park Aerodrome or Wollongong Airport, is an airport located in Albion Park Rail, Shellharbour City, New South Wales, Australia. The Historical Aircraft Restor ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, Australia. Ex A89-273 of No. 10 Squadron RAAF, now civil registered VH-IOY."Lockheed SP2-H (P2V-7) Neptune."
''Historical Aircraft Restoration Society''. Retrieved: 18 November 2017.
* 147566 – Historical Aircraft Restoration Society,
Illawarra Regional Airport Shellharbour Airport, formerly Illawarra Regional Airport, also referred as Albion Park Aerodrome or Wollongong Airport, is an airport located in Albion Park Rail, Shellharbour City, New South Wales, Australia. The Historical Aircraft Restor ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, Australia. Delivered to French Aeronavale, assigned to Escadrille 12 last based in Tahiti. Currently displaying French Aeronavale colours, now civil registered VH-LRR. ;On Display ;;SP-2H * 149075 –
RAAF Museum RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia which is the oldest continuously operating Military Air Base in the world. T ...
,
Point Cook, Victoria Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Point Cook recorded a population of 66,781 at the 2021 census. Point Cook ...
. Ex A89-275 of No. 10 Squadron RAAF * 149077 – Queensland Air Museum, Caloundra. Ex A89-277 of No. 10 Squadron RAAF * 149080 –
RAAF Base Townsville RAAF Base Townsville (formerly RAAF Base Garbutt) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) air base located in , west of Townsville in Queensland, Australia. It is the headquarters for No. 1 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets and, along with L ...
entrance, owned by
RAAF Museum RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia which is the oldest continuously operating Military Air Base in the world. T ...
. Ex A89-280 of No. 10 Squadron RAAF. * 149081 – Historical Aircraft Restoration Society,
Illawarra Regional Airport Shellharbour Airport, formerly Illawarra Regional Airport, also referred as Albion Park Aerodrome or Wollongong Airport, is an airport located in Albion Park Rail, Shellharbour City, New South Wales, Australia. The Historical Aircraft Restor ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
. Ex A89-281 of No. 10 Squadron RAAF. ;In Storage ;;SP-2H * 133640 –
RAAF Museum RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia which is the oldest continuously operating Military Air Base in the world. T ...
,
Point Cook, Victoria Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Point Cook recorded a population of 66,781 at the 2021 census. Point Cook ...
. Ex A89-302 of No. 11 Squadron RAAF, in storage for
RAAF Museum RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia which is the oldest continuously operating Military Air Base in the world. T ...
. * 145921 – Registered to Valerio, located in
Cunderdin, Western Australia Cunderdin is a town located in the Wheatbelt (Western Australia), Wheatbelt region of Western Australia 156 km east of Perth, along the Great Eastern Highway. Due to it being on the route of the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme it is also o ...
, ex-USN, imported into Australia November 1988, converted to firefighting tanker, civil registered VH-NEP. ;Under Restoration ;;SP-2E * 133640 – Historic Aircraft Restoration Society,
Parkes Airport Parkes Airport is an airport located northeast of Parkes, New South Wales, Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. Approximately 32,000 passengers used scheduled service at the airport in 2011.Fiscal year 1 July – 30 June The Parkes Shire, Parke ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, Australia. Ex A89-302 of No. 11 Squadron RAAF. The oldest Neptune in Australia, it was gifted by the
RAAF Museum RAAF Museum is the official museum of the Royal Australian Air Force, the second oldest air force in the world, located at RAAF Williams Point Cook, Victoria, Australia which is the oldest continuously operating Military Air Base in the world. T ...
in 2018, for static restoration. ;;SP-2H * 149072 – Historic Aircraft Restoration Society,
Parkes Airport Parkes Airport is an airport located northeast of Parkes, New South Wales, Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. Approximately 32,000 passengers used scheduled service at the airport in 2011.Fiscal year 1 July – 30 June The Parkes Shire, Parke ...
,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
, Australia. Ex A89-272 of No. 10 Squadron RAAF. Donated to HARS by RAAF in February 2016 for restoration and display at the HARS Parkes satellite facility.


Canada

;On display ;;EP-2H * 147969 –
Greenwood Military Aviation Museum The Greenwood Military Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located in Greenwood, Nova Scotia. The museum houses 15 aircraft and is highlighted by its Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British Second World War heavy bomber. It was de ...
in
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
, Canada.


Chile

;Under restoration ;;SP-2H * 147967 – To be displayed is the Neptune /Firestar registered CC-CHU of Heliworks Ltda. Currently dismantled in Concepción/Carriel Sur airport, N703AU/Tanker 03's incorporation into Chile's
Museo Nacional Aeronáutico y del Espacio The Museo Nacional Aeronáutica y del Espacio (MNAE) is an institution responsible for disseminating the aeronautical heritage in Chile. History It was created on July 13, 1944, as Museo de Aviación, during the government of Juan Antonio R ...
collection at the former Los Cerrillos airport in Santiago, was announced during the ceremony of the 69th Anniversary of Museum on 4 July 2013.


Netherlands

;On display ;;SP-2H * 201 – on display outside at the Nationaal Militair Museum,
Soesterberg Soesterberg is a town in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is a part of the municipality of Soest, and lies about 5 km northeast of Zeist, on the road between Amersfoort and Utrecht. It was the location of Soesterberg Air Base History The ...
. * 210 - on display outside at Aviodrome Lelystad AirPort. This aircraft was donated to KLM engineering & maintenance for training purposes and was painted in KLM colors. Afterwards transported by barge to Aviodrome and now in partial Dark Sea grey color. * 216 –
gate guardian A gate guardian or gate guard is a withdrawn piece of equipment, often an aircraft, armoured vehicle, artillery piece, or locomotive, mounted on a plinth and used as a static display near to and forming a symbolic display of "guarding" the main ...
at the former naval airbase Valkenburg, after closing it was moved to naval airbase De Kooy near Den Helder, The Netherlands.


Portugal

;On display ;;P2V * 4711 –
Museu do Ar The Air Museum ( pt, Museu do Ar) is an aviation museum of the Portuguese Air Force located at Sintra Air Base and with spaces at Ovar and Alverca. History The museum dates back to the ''Aero Clube de Portugal'' in 1909 and was created in ...
,
Sintra Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated ...
.


United Kingdom

;On display ;;P-2H * 204 –
Royal Air Force Museum Cosford The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford, located in Cosford in Shropshire, is a free (currently, 2022) museum dedicated to the history of aviation and the Royal Air Force in particular. The museum is part of the Royal Air Force Museum, a non-departme ...
. former Royal Netherlands Navy, last airworthy airframe donated to the UK in 1982 after arrival of the first P-3c in the Royal Netherlands Navy.


United States

;Airworthy ;;P2V-7/P-2H * 148360 – Erickson Aircraft Collection in
Madras, Oregon Madras ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Oregon, United States. Originally called "The Basin" after the circular valley the city is in, it is unclear whether Madras was named in 1903 for the cotton fabric called " Madras" ...
;;P2V-7S/SP-2H * 145915 –
Mid-Atlantic Air Museum The Mid-Atlantic Air Museum (MAAM) is an aviation museum and aircraft restoration facility located at Reading Regional Airport in Reading, Pennsylvania. The museum, founded by Russ Strine, the current President, collects and actively restores ...
in
Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...
. ;On display ;;P2V-1 * 89082 ''Truculent Turtle'' –
National Museum of Naval Aviation The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1962 and moved to its curr ...
,
NAS Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
, Florida. ;;P2V-5F/P-2E * 128392 -
NAS Brunswick Naval Air Station Brunswick , also known as NAS Brunswick, was a military airport located southeast of Brunswick, Maine, with a number of Navy-operated maritime patrol aircraft. As of November 28, 2009, the last aircraft ( P-3 Orions) left. The ...
main gate, former
NAS Brunswick Naval Air Station Brunswick , also known as NAS Brunswick, was a military airport located southeast of Brunswick, Maine, with a number of Navy-operated maritime patrol aircraft. As of November 28, 2009, the last aircraft ( P-3 Orions) left. The ...
,
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
. * 131410 – NAS Jacksonville Memorial Park,
NAS Jacksonville Naval Air Station Jacksonville (NAS Jacksonville) is a large naval air station located approximately eight miles (13 km) south of the central business district of Jacksonville, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 Location NAS Jack ...
, Florida. ;;P2V-5FS/AP-2E * 131485 –
United States Army Aviation Museum The United States Army Aviation Museum is an aviation museum located on Fort Rucker near Daleville, Alabama. It has the largest collection of helicopters held by a museum in the world.Phillips 1992, p. 37.Purner 2004, p. 204. The museum feature ...
at
Fort Rucker Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located primarily in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training installation for U.S. Army Aviators and ...
, Alabama ;;P2V-5FS/SP-2E * 128402 – Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum in
Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo County, Colorado ...
. ;;P2V-5/SP2-E * 128402 – On static display at Moffett Historical Museum, Moffett Federal Airfield (former
NAS Moffett Field Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November 10, ...
), California. ;; ;;P2V-7/P-2H * 147957 –
Pima Air and Space Museum The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m² ...
, adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
. * 147966 –
South Georgia Technical College South Georgia Technical College (SGTC) is a Public community college in Americus, Georgia. It has a satellite campus in Cordele, Georgia. SGTC serves many neighboring counties including Macon, Sumter, Webster, and Crisp County. History Originall ...
in
Americus, Georgia Americus is the county seat of Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Schley an ...
. ;;P2V-7S/AP-2H * 135620 –
Pima Air and Space Museum The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m² ...
adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in
Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
. ;;P2V-7S/SP-2H * 147954 – Museum of Aviation at
Robins AFB Robins Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force installation located in Houston County, Georgia, United States. The base is located just east of the city of Warner Robins, south-southeast of Macon and approximately south-southeast ...
, Georgia. The P-2 Neptune is painted to represent a USAF/CIA/Taiwan RB-69A. * 141234 –
National Museum of Naval Aviation The National Naval Aviation Museum, formerly known as the National Museum of Naval Aviation and the Naval Aviation Museum, is a military and aerospace museum located at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Founded in 1962 and moved to its curr ...
in
NAS Pensacola Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
, Florida. * 150279 – Gate guard at the
Marine Corps Base Hawaii Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH), formerly Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay and originally Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay, is a U.S. Marine Corps facility and air station located on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward O'ahu in the City & County ...
(former MCAS Kaneohe Bay), Hawaii. Relocated from former
NAS Barbers Point Naval Air Station Barbers Point , on O'ahu, also called John Rodgers Field (the original name of Honolulu International Airport), is a former United States Navy airfield closed in 1999, and renamed Kalaeloa Airport. Parts of the former air station ...
, Hawaii in 1998 following that base's closure due to BRAC action. ;Under restoration or in storage ;;P2V-5 * 128422 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in
Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...
. ;;P2V-5F/P-2E * 131502 – in storage by Premier Jets in
Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, ...
. * 131482 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. ;;P2V-5FS/SP-2E * 131542 – for static display by the Historic Aircraft Restoration Project at former NAS New York /
Floyd Bennett Field Floyd Bennett Field is an airfield in the Marine Park neighborhood of southeast Brooklyn in New York City, along the shore of Jamaica Bay. The airport originally hosted commercial and general aviation traffic before being used as a naval air ...
in Brooklyn, New York. ;;P2V-7/P-2H * 140154 – in storage by the Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting in
Greybull, Wyoming Greybull is a town in central Big Horn County, Wyoming, Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,847 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. Geography Greybull is located at (44.491450, -108.053655). According to t ...
. * 140972 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. * 147949 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. * 148341 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. * 148346 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. * 148356 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. * 148359 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. * 148362 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. ;;P2V-7S/SP-2H * 147965 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana. * 148339 – in storage by Neptune Aviation Services in Missoula, Montana."FAA Registry: N714AU"
''FAA.gov'' Retrieved: 18 August 2021.


Specifications (P-2H / P2V-7)


See also

* ''
Neptune Mission ''Neptune Mission'' (also known as ''Neptune's Mission'') is a 1958 30-minute Canadian short documentary film produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) television series, ''Perspective''. ...
'', a 1958 Canadian short documentary about a Neptune anti-submarine mission


References


Notes


Citations


Bibliography

* Baugher, Joe. ''US Navy and US Marine Corps Aircraft Serial Numbers and Bureau Numbers--1911 to Present'' Cited by: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19520105-0 * Burden, Rodney A.; Draper, Michael I.; Rough, Douglas A.; Smith, Colin R.; Wilton, David. ''Falklands: The Air War''. British Aviation Research Group, 1986. . * Donald, David, ed. "Lockheed P2V Neptune". ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.'' New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1997. * Eden, Paul. "Lockheed P2V Neptune". ''Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft.'' London: Amber Books, 2004. . * * Francillon, René J. ''Lockheed Aircraft since 1913''. London: Putnam, 1982. . * * Howard, Peter J. "The Lockheed Neptune in R.A.F. Service: Part 1". ''
Air Pictorial ''Air Pictorial'' was a British aviation magazine covering contemporary and historical military and civil aviation topics. By 2002, when the magazine was renamed ''Aviation News'' (a title that had been incorporated into it six years previously ...
'', Vol. 34, No. 8, August 1972, pp. 284–289, 294. * Howard, Peter J. "The Lockheed Neptune in R.A.F. Service: Part 2". ''Air Pictorial'', Vol. 34, No. 9, September 1972, pp. 356–360. * Mutza, Wayne. "Army Neptunes...Over South East Asia". ''
Air Enthusiast ''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...
'', Twenty-nine, November 1985 – February 1986. pp. 35–42, 73–77. ISSN 0143-5450. * Scutts, Jerry. "Tractable Turtle: The Lockheed Neptune Story: Part 1". ''
Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...
'', Vol. 48, No. 1, January 1995. pp. 42–46. ISSN 0306-5634. * Scutts, Jerry. "Tractable Turtle: The Lockheed Neptune Story: Part 2". ''Air International'', Vol. 48, No. 2, February 1995. pp. 80–87. ISSN 0306-5634. * Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Navy Aircraft since 1911''. London: Putnam, Second edition, 1976. . * Sullivan, Jim, ''P2V Neptune in action''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1985. . * * Wilson, Stewart. ''Combat Aircraft since 1945''. Fyshwick, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd., 2000. .


Further reading

* * *


External links


Patrol Squadron 65 History with the Neptune

P2 development history









Aero Union Corporation

Missoulian article on Neptune's P2V water bombers and their proposed replacement with Q300s



Observation Squadron Sixty-Seven


* ttp://www.vaq34.com/vxe6/p2v.htm Use of P2V aircraft for Operation Deep Freeze by the US Navy's squadron VX-6
AeroWeb: List of P-2 Neptunes on display.

DND – Canada's Air Force – Lockheed CP-127 (P2V-7) Neptune

Quonset Air Museum Website, Collections Tab on P-2V Neptune as direct link is not available


{{Authority control Aircraft with auxiliary jet engines P-002 1940s United States patrol aircraft 1940s United States anti-submarine aircraft Mid-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1945 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft