Keychain made of real aircraft skin: Lockheed P-3A Aerostar N920AU Orange

2022 has been a stellar year for PlaneTags releases so it's only fitting that we end with an incredible aircraft, a plane that collectors ask about all the time. The Lockheed P-3 Orion has been in service for 60 years, proven to be reliable and versatile in multiple missions in countries all over the globe. Meet N920AU, also known as P.3-06, BuNo 150513, and Tanker 20, a Lockheed P-3A Orion Aerostar.

The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a land-based, long range, four-engined turboprop aircraft developed for anti-submarine warfare, for the U.S. Navy during the 1960s. Based on Lockheed's commercial airliner the L-188 Electra, it was modified with an extended tail boom equipped with submarine detecting MAD, as well as a bomb bay and wing pylons to support a variety of armament. The P-3 went through several developments, including improvements to its engine mounts and wings for safety, and an extension program to replace all fatigue-life-limiting structures with new materials to extend its years. Although production ended in 1990, the P-3 has continued to evolve and remains mission ready today. 

OUR PLANE'S STORY

This P-3, c/n 185-5039 (150513), was built in 1963 and delivered to the U.S. Navy. It served with VP-68, a Patrol Squadron of the U.S. Navy Reserve for training and operational missions in support of fleet operations in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Caribbean Seas, and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1979, it went to the Spanish Air Force for several years, before returning to the U.S. Registered as N920AU in 2001, it was one of a handful of P-3s converted to the Aerostart variant of aerial fire bombers for Aero Union Corporation. After Aero Union's doors were closed in 2011, N920AU was scrapped. Its front fuselage landed at United Aeronautical Corporation, where it remained for almost a decade. MotoArt acquired what remained of it in 2022 for PlaneTags.

Lockheed calls the P-3 Orion the "World Standard in Maritime Patrol Aircraft". Don't miss adding one to your PlaneTags collection. Order your Lockheed P-3A Orion Aerostar PlaneTags today.