Tragedy in Pohang: South Korean Navy loses patrol aircraft
On May 29, 2025, a P-3 Orion patrol aircraft from the South Korean Navy, with four people on board, crashed on 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, the P-3 Orion patrol aircraft belonging to the South Korean Navy (ROKN), which took off for crew training from the airbase in Pohang at 1:43 AM Eastern Time, crashed nearby under unidentified circumstances, citing an ROKN statement. The most significant loss for ROKN is not the aircraft itself, but at least four crew members. Training such specialized personnel takes many years.
P-3 Orion — a crucial, yet limited asset for ROKN
The P-3 Orion aircraft, introduced into service with ROKN in 2010, are specialized reconnaissance and patrol machines designed to combat submarines, constructed by Lockheed based on the Lockheed L-188 Electra passenger aircraft.
ROKN received eight machines, but only seven were in service after modernization by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). Following the accident, this number will decrease to six aircraft. This is a significant loss for South Korea.
Structurally, the P-3 Orion is a machine that dates back to the 1960s, but over the following decades, it evolved into a largely shell-like form, as its interior was equipped with modern equipment. This included optoelectronic heads capable of recording images in daylight or infrared, as well as radars and sonar buoys, along with the necessary equipment for analyzing the obtained data.
Additionally, the aircraft can carry a load of torpedoes, AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, depth charges, or naval mines in the fuselage hold or on pylons under the wings. The main task of these machines is to thoroughly search the area of enemy submarine activity and direct their units to them or to monitor the perimeter around their fleet.
