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The P3C is a performance-enhanced model of the P-3, which was made by US Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) in the 1950s. It moves with four turboprop engines that carry torpedoes or Harpoon missiles and perform missions for over 12 hours. The Korean Navy is also operating 16 P-3CKs, which are improved versions of the P-3C. From 1994 to 1996, the performance of the 8 P-3Cs, which were introduced and operated in the first phase, was also improved to the P-3CK level. The radar and sonobuoys (acoustic detection equipment) have been replaced with the latest digital equipment, and video transmission equipment and automatic ship identification devices have been newly installed.
The P-3C is called the “submarine nemesis” since it can fly over a wide sea, discover submarines, and immediately fire torpedoes to attack.
From the submarine’s point of view, the maritime surveillance aircraft poses a lethal threat. The P-3C can stay in the sky for about 16 hours and carry weapons equivalent to the weight of an 8.5-ton truck. Its flying distance also reaches about 5,532 miles.
The P-3C features a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) and the sonobuoys. These two sensory organs can detect all submarines.
MAD is a device that uses a magnetic field to capture submarines. The earth is no different from a huge magnet, with a constant magnetic field between the North and South Poles. When a huge iron piece, like a submarine, passes through this continuous magnetic field, the magnetic field is disturbed. MAD detects these disturbed magnetic fields and discovers the submerged.
In addition to these devices, the P-3C has a powerful weapon to sink submarines. It’s an “underwater attack” torpedo. This torpedo is a kind of underwater missile that attacks submarines. It maneuvers at about 53 miles per hour in the water. Any submarine at a distance of 6 miles can be attacked. In addition, the P-3C is equipped with anti-ship missiles that can attack enemy ships, making it possible to conduct warfare against on-surface ships. This is why it is called the “guardian of the sea.”
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