Specifications

Manufacturer: Lockheed
Year/Model: 1954 P2V-5F Neptune
BuNo: 131424
Construction Number: 426-5305
Tail Number: NR807NA
Crew: 7
Power Plant: 2x Wright + 2x Westinghouse R-3350-26W Cyclone-18 + J-34
Wingspan: 100 feet
Length: 77 feet 10 inch
Height: 28 feet 1 inches
Empty Weight: 41,548 pounds
Max Load Weight: 79,999 pounds
Maximum Speed: 314 MPH
Cruise Speed: 178 MPH
Service Ceiling: 26,000 feet
Range: 3,980 miles
Status: Static Display
Owner: Estrella Warbirds Museum

US Naval History - BuNo 131424

UnitTail-noseStationEarly dateLast Date
VP-4 YD-? NAF Naha, Okinawa Mar 56 
VP-22 QA-3 NAS Barbers Point, HI  
VP-10 HK-12 NAS Argentia, Newfoundland 3 May 55  
VP-26 LK-10 NAS Keflavik, Iceland Jun 59  
VP-4 YD-11 Naha, Okinawa Aug 60  
* 7R ? NAS Oceana, VA Sep 66  
* 7L-202 NAS Point Magu, CA 31 Oct 68 1974

* Any further information would be greatly appreciated.

fcolburn520@... notes, "Below are two pics, the first of the aircraft YD-11 in VP-4 livery and a picture of my logbook with the flight I described to Neptune, Inc. as follows:

Yes, 131424 is a particularly memorable aircraft. We picked it up in Alameda after an overhaul and tran-pac'd it home. In Hawaii out of Barbers Point NAS, we spent a week of night time ASW exercises with one of our subs. August 4, 1960 on a very dark night at about 200’ our starboard engine swallowed a valve and quit. The only time I actually said “Mayday” on the air but we wanted someone to know where we were beside the sub which was submerged. Nuff said, we got the jets started and returned to Barbers Point, but there was some puckering involved. FC

P.S. “Home” in this case was Naha Okinawa where VP-4 was permanently deployed at the time as a part of the Taiwan Patrol Force, Cold War era."

Log book

History

Estrella Warbirds Museum acquired this Lockheed Neptune after it fulfilled service as a fire fighting bomber, operated by Neptune Aviation. Beginning with the P2V-5F model, the Neptune became one of the first operational aircraft fitted with both piston and jet engines. Originally developed by Lockheed for the US Navy, the Neptune served as a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft. The Neptune was designed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon. This particular aircraft, having reached the maximum airframe life status, took its final flight arriving in Paso Robles, CA, to begin a new life as a static display at Estrella Warbirds Museum. Restoration to military configuration pending.

The Lockheed Company had established itself as a major manufacturer of combat aircraft early in World War II with the "Hudson" ocean patrol aircraft, a militarized version of the Lockheed L-10 Electra twin-piston airliner. Over 1,500 Hudsons were obtained by the British, establishing a tradition for Lockheed in the ocean patrol aircraft business. The Hudson was a blatant improvisation whose main virtue was availability, though it did achieve successes against German U-boats. Lockheed then went on to produce a similar but "bigger and better" ocean patrol aircraft, the "PV-1 Ventura", based on the Lodestar transport, which was basically a stretched Electra with uprated engines. The Ventura led to an improved variant, the "PV-2 Harpoon".

The "P2V-5" was the definitive Neptune variant, with 424 built. It replaced earlier Neptune variants in first line operation, relegating them to reserve status. Various changes and enhancements made through its subvariants resulted in an aircraft distinctly different in appearance from its predecessors. Its successors would retain much the same configuration.

The first P2V-5 flew on 29 December 1950, and the type performed ocean patrols during the later parts of the Korean War. The P2V-5 retained the same powerplants as the P2V-4, but the six fixed 20-millimeter cannon in the nose were replaced by an Emerson nose turret mounting twin 20-millimeter cannon. Additional anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and electronics countermeasures (ECM) gear -- particularly an AN/ALR-3 countermeasures receiving set, with small fairings on the side of the nose and rear fuselage -- were incorporated, and another crew member was added to operate the new ASW-ECM gear, bringing the total to nine. As the P2V Neptune gradually changed with new configurations, one of the most distinctive updates was a refit with two 15.1 kN (1,540 kgp / 3,400 lbf) thrust Westinghouse J34-WE-34 turbojets, fitted outboard of the piston engines. These turbojets were used to assist in take-offs and for additional combat speed. The number of HVAR stub launch rails was reduced from 16 to 8 when the turbojets were fitted. This subvariant was designated the "P2V-5F"

P2V-5F In Action (Reconfigured as a fire bomber)

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