The first German P-3C aircraft purchased by the Air Force landed this Friday in Beja.

The first of six P-3C aircraft acquired by the Portuguese Air Force from Germany landed this Friday in Beja and will participate in search and rescue operations and maritime patrol, the branch said.

In a statement, the Air Force said that “the first of six P-3C aircraft acquired by the Air Force from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany” landed this Friday at 14:20 at Air Base No. 11 in Beja. .

The six aircraft will be integrated into the fleet of the 601st Lobos Squadron, which already operates the P-3C CUP+ Orion version, “responsible for ensuring sovereignty and surveillance of the strategic space of national interests and coverage of the entire territory of two flight information and search and rescue regions under the jurisdiction of the Portuguese state – one of the largest in the world – make a decisive contribution to search and rescue operations over very long distances, which guarantees the protection of human life in cases of accidents or emergencies occurring at sea,” the note says.

According to the department, the contract signed between the governments of Portugal and Germany includes the entire fleet of P-3C aircraft provided by the Federal Republic of Germany, consisting of six aircraft, spare parts, support equipment and test benches, as well as flight simulators, flight and tactical procedures .

The statement refers to a Council of Ministers resolution in which the government states that the acquisition of the entire arsenal of the German fleet “appears as an opportunity to guarantee the operation of the P-3C CUP+ weapon system in the coming years without significant restrictions.” providing high-availability support” because without these resources, “increasing the current availability of aircraft, which are gradually experiencing increasing periods of unavailability due to the need for maintenance activities for which materials are not available on the market, will be compromised.”