US Customs and Border Protection operated an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for many years to catch smuggling vessels—and faces a capability gap with its retirement.

The P-3 Orion is best known as one of America’s long-tenured submarine-hunting aircraft. But one obscure variant of the P-3 had a very different mission: hunting drug smugglers in the Caribbean and other waterways. The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operated the P-3 Airborne Early Warning (AEW), which was instantly distinguishable from the normal P-3 surveillance plane because of the large saucer-shaped radar dome mounted above the fuselage.

The CBP was the only operator of the P-3 AEW variant, and according to The War Zone, it was the only law enforcement agency operating any dedicated AEW aircraft. But that chapter is coming to an end, as the CBP officially retired its final P-3 AEW last month—meaning that this odd footnote of US military aviation history is no more.

Why Did Domestic Law Enforcement Need a Spy Plane?

During the 1980s, the US government faced an enormous problem with narcotics smuggling from Latin America and the Caribbean. Detecting aircraft and boats before they reached the US required surveillance that extended far beyond the US coastline.

Initially, the US Customs Service—the predecessor agency to the CBP—borrowed Navy E-2C Hawkeyes, another AWACS aircraft, for counter-narcotics surveillance. But the E-2C Hawkeye, which was built for carrier operations, proved less than optimal for long-endurance missions spanning the Caribbean. Customs wanted something with greater range, longer endurance, and lower operating costs for its huge surveillance area. The P-3 was the solution; originally designed for long-duration maritime patrols, it offered plenty of endurance and internal room for sensors and operators.

Customs began operating the P-3 AEW in the late 1980s. These aircraft weren’t newly manufactured; instead, they were converted from second-hand P-3 maritime patrol aircraft, some of which had originally served with the Royal Australian Air Force as well as the US Navy. The first three P-3s in service with Customs featured the AN/APS-138 radar, which was also associated with the early E-2C Hawkeye. But beginning in the 1990s, newer aircraft received the upgraded AN/APS-145, which mounted the radar high above the aircraft, offering huge advantages—namely, the extension of the horizon much further than simple ground radar, a capability that was particularly useful for detecting low-flying smuggling aircraft. The P-3 AEW also carried electro-optical/infrared sensor turrets with radar that could locate suspicious targets across wide areas.

CBP described the P-3 AEW as the cornerstone of America’s outer-layer border security, with aircraft operating well beyond the continental US. Surveillance areas included the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Central American transit zones, and South American transit zones. The basic idea was that US law enforcement should not wait for a smuggler to arrive at the US border, but proactively detect and track that trafficker hundreds (or thousands) of miles out.

If the P-3 Was Effective, Why Did CBP Retire It?

The program worked as intended across its decades-long history, helping to catch many drug and human traffickers. But—as with other AWACS aircraft, notably the E-3 Sentry—age has finally caught up with the P-3. The platform entered service during the 1960s, and while CBP has tried extending the aircraft’s lives, doing so into the 2030s has become prohibitively expensive and difficult.

However, nothing is currently slated to replace the P-3 AEW, leaving a capability gap. General Atomics and Saab are jointly developing an AEW version of the MQ-9B, but there haven’t been any reported US orders yet. The US military could also supplement counter-drug coverage with Navy E-2s and Air Force E-3s, but these aircraft are in high demand elsewhere. Indeed, the retirement of CBP’s P-3 fleet may leave the US more vulnerable to drug smuggling as a suitable replacement is devised.

About the Author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a writer and attorney focused on national security, technology, and political culture. His work has appeared in Tablet, City Journal, The Hill, The Spectator, and The Cipher Brief. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global & Joint Program Studies from NYU. More at harrisonkass.com.

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