The first P-3 Orion with new Mid-Life Upgrade, or MLU, program enhancements was delivered to US Customs and Border Protection in ceremonies at the Lockheed Martin facility in Greenville, South Carolina on 13 July 2010. The P-3 MLU program replaces the aircraft’s outer wings, center wing lower surface, and horizontal stabilizer with new production components. US Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, will receive as many as fourteen upgraded P-3s with deliveries planned through 2015. To date, fifty-two MLU kits have been ordered by six operators from four nations. The MLU removes current aircraft flight restrictions and extends the structural service life of the P-3 up to 15,000 hours and adds twenty years of operational use.
