South Korean navy mourns loss in P‑3 Orion crash
On May 29, 2025, a South Korean Navy P-3 Orion patrol plane with four people on board crashed into a mountain in the southeastern city of Pohang. Here is what is known about the accident and the aircraft involved.
According to the Yonhap agency, a P-3 Orion patrol plane belonging to the South Korean Navy (대한민국 해군 or ROKN), which took off for crew training from an airbase in Pohang at 12:43 PM Eastern Time, crashed nearby for unidentified reasons. This information was cited from an ROKN statement. The biggest loss for the ROKN is not the plane itself, but the at least four crew members. Training such specialized personnel can take years.
P-3 Orion — a crucial but scarce machine for the ROKN
The P-3 Orion aircraft, introduced into ROKN service in 2010, is a specialized reconnaissance and patrol aircraft designed for anti-submarine warfare. Constructed by Lockheed based on the Lockheed L-188 Electra passenger aircraft, it plays a crucial role in naval operations.
The ROKN received eight of these aircraft, but only seven remained in service after modernization by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). After the accident, this number will decrease to six, representing a significant loss for South Korea.
Structurally, the P-3 Orion is an aircraft design that dates back to the 1960s. However, over the subsequent decades, only the external fuselage was retained as the interior was outfitted with modern equipment. This includes electro-optical heads capable of recording images in daylight or infrared, radars, and sonar buoys, along with equipment necessary for data analysis.
Additionally, the aircraft can carry a load of torpedoes, AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, depth charges, or naval mines either in the fuselage hold or on the pylons under the wings. The primary task of these machines is to precisely locate enemy submarine activity areas and direct their own units to them, or to guard the perimeter around their own fleet.
