German P-3C Orion upgrade approved by US State Department

The US State Department has approved a upgrade package for Germany's eight Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft.
The package comprises the procurement, integration, and installation of hardware and software to upgrade the mission computer and acoustic systems.
The eight P-3Cs have been in service with the German Navy since they procured from the Netherlands as Dassault Atlantic replacements in 2005. Prior to entering German service, the aircraft had already undergone the Capabilities Upkeep Program, which is based on the US Navy's Anti-Surface Warfare Improvement Program. New sensors include AN/APS-137(B)5 Imaging synthetic aperture radar as well as new electronic warfare and communications suites.
Despite these issues, the German Navy's P-3Cs have proven themselves during operational deployments under the auspices of Operation 'Enduring Freedom' in Afghanistan and Operation 'Atalanta' off Somalia. The P-3Cs are operated by Naval Aviation Command's 1 Submarine Hunting Squadron and 2 Submarine Hunting and Reconnaissance Squadron out of Nordholz, on the Baltic coast.
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