Maritime Patrol Aviation
Volume 24, Number 3 (July–September 2003)
Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft performing missions in various environments that illustrate the continuous evolution of the capability of this unique Navy aviation community. (Scene 1) A VP-22 Catalina in the South Pacific in early 1942. (Scene 2) Throughout World War II, many Catalina aircraft operating in the Pacific Theater were painted black and, known as "Black Cats," conducted nighttime attacks on Japanese shipping in the Solomon Island chain. (Scene 3) The Lockheed P-2V Neptune, July 1946, the first aircraft specifically designed for long-range anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. (Scene 4) The P-5M, the Navy's last flying boat, was decommissioned in 1967, ending 56 years of flying boat service. (Scene 5) Since 1962, the P-3 has been the mainstay of maritime patrol aviation in many navies around the world, performing long-range, "blue water" operations and (Scene 6) operations overland during Operation Iraqi Freedom.