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P2V-7 Neptune (SP2-H)
VP-17
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Photography by Action Asia Photo |
The Lockheed P2V-7 was the last and most sophisticated derivative of the P-2 models built for the Navy for the primary mission of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and a secondary mission of aerial mining. First flown in early 1954 with the designation SP-2H, the two-prop aircraft was modified to have installed additionally a jet engine under each wing. Also introduced was the "Jezebel" and "Julie" submarine detection gear. Two hundred and sixteen SP-2H aircraft in various versions were produced for the Navy. The SP-2H saw considerable Vietnam War service in "Market Time" surveillance missions off the coast of Vietnam. Neptunes were also deployed experimentally by the Air Force as night attack aircraft and some versions dropped electronic sensors on truck routes in Laos in hopes of detecting enemy convoys. Also, Neptunes were fitted with skis for use in the Arctic and Antarctic. In their Arctic role as cargo transports they incorporated a unique system in which the cargo was carried in a specially designed module that was fitted into the bomb bay of the aircraft. When inserted, the module became the bottom of the aircraft's fuselage. By 1977 they had been phased out of ASW work by the more modern P-3 Orion. The Lockheed Model 726, the P2V-7, was the final Neptune variant off the Lockheed production line. First flown in 1954, it was powered by a pair of 3,700hp (with water injection) Wright R-3350-32W Turbo Compound engines and a pair of Westinghouse J-34-WE-36 turbojet engines. This model had a top dash speed of 364mph making it the fastest of the Lockheed produced Neptunes. The APS-20 search radar with its larger radome was mounted further forward than that on the earlier P2V-5s. Crew:
Nine
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