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A rarely seen U.S. Customs and Border Protection P-3 Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft, used for tracking small boats smuggling narcotics in Pacific and Caribbean waters around Central America, was spotted at California\u2019s Long Beach Airport. The P-3 AEW, as the CBP designates it, is the world\u2019s only airborne radar used for law-enforcement.<\/p>\n
Aviation photo journalist Matthew Dawson<\/a>, a contributor at SkyBlazer Magazine<\/em><\/a> who shared a video of the aircraft taxiing and taking off on his Instagram profile on Apr. 9, 2026, said the aircraft was seen \u201clate in March.\u201d Based on its recent flight history, this date can be concluded to be Mar. 29.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A post shared by Matthew Dawson (@mattdawson.photography)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cFor unknown reasons in late March this Lockheed P-3B AEW&C flew out of Long Beach Airport for a few days conducting flights over the southern Pacific Ocean! It was really neat to see this bird operating out of the Long Beach airport. Callsign \u2018Troy 609\u2019,\u201d said Dawson.<\/p>\n The \u2018Troy\u2019 callsign has been commonly associated with this aircraft type, based on flight history in recent years. The aircraft is used in coordination with another CBP P-3-based aircraft, the P-3 Long-Range Tracker (LRT), for the maritime counter-narcotics role.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dawson also shared with The Aviationist<\/em> some more images of the elusive P-3 AEW aircraft, whose existence along with the P-3 LRT is public knowledge, but has seldom figured outside the CBP\u2019s counter-narcotics press releases.<\/p>\n Both the P-3 AEW and the P-3 LRT are used for \u201clong-range aerial patrols and surveillance missions\u201d in support of the counter-narcotics efforts of the DHS. They fall within the CBP\u2019s Air and Marine Operations, as written on the rear fuselage of the aircraft. The parent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) flashes are emblazoned on the vertical stabilizer and the front fuselage, respectively.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Lockheed Martin P-3C in general has been a popular type for the maritime patrol and surveillance roles in many countries, including the U.S., Germany and Japan<\/a>. The airframe has also seen other special mission adaptations like the now-retired U.S. Navy\u2019s Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and ISR EP-3E Aries II<\/a> aircraft.<\/p>\n As mentioned in the opening, the CBP\u2019s P-3 AEW is the only law enforcement dedicated airborne radar aircraft in the world, and is flown by the CBP\u2019s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) division.<\/p>\n The aircraft in the photos bears the registration N146CS, and we also know about the existence of at least another airframe, N144CS. Data from FlightAware<\/a> of N146CS\u2019s track on Mar. 29 shows the aircraft flew a nearly two-hour route off the California coast, taking off from San Clemente island at 7:11 pm (local time), and landed at Long Beach airport, California at 10:13 pm.<\/p>\n Flying with its ADS-B transponder turned on throughout its patrol, the aircraft flew a circuitous pattern around San Clemente, maintained an altitude of 14,500 feet, and stayed at speeds from 268 to 370 miles\/hour.<\/p>\n The two HC-130Js are descending towards Cura\u00e7ao ( ??? \/\/ 12-3060 \/\/ #AE68B9<\/a> \u2014 Bizjets of War (@bizjetsofwar) May 30, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Previous flight tracks have shown both aircraft variants \u2013 the P-3 AEW and the P-3 LRT \u2013 in the Caribbean Sea, where N142CS was seen in its western part<\/a> with the call sign TROY072. A P-3 LRT had flown on Apr. 10<\/a> just off the northwestern waters of Venezuela, near the islands of Aruba and Curacao.<\/p>\n \u2014 \ud835\ude3c\ud835\ude67\ud835\ude67\ud835\ude5a\ud835\ude58\ud835\ude5d\ud835\ude64 (@Arr3ch0) April 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A 2009 archived page from the CBP website<\/a> says the P-3 AEW uses the AN\/APS-145 radar, the same system found on the U.S. Navy\u2019s carrier-borne E-2C Hawkeye. The radar is capable of tracking targets in the air as well as on the sea. Developer Lockheed Martin says that the APS-145 is a doppler radar that operates in the Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) range, can track 2,000 targets, and is resistant to jamming with a Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM) suite.<\/p>\n The CBP calls the P-3 AEW a \u201cDetection and Monitoring (D&M)\u201d aircraft and, as the \u201conly law enforcement AEW aircraft in the world,\u201d defines it as vital in the agency\u2019s anti-smuggling and border protection mission. \u201cAir and Marine\u2019s P-3s are high-endurance, all-weather, tactical turbo-prop aircraft, which are utilized primarily for long-range patrols along the entire U.S. border, and in source and transit zone countries, throughout Central and South America,\u201d the CBP website said.<\/p>\n The aircraft is operated by a crew of eight, comprising the pilot, copilot, flight engineer, and radar\/sensor operators. They are \u201croutinely sent on temporary duty to support the United States and foreign government initiatives to stem smuggling into the United States,\u201d the 2009 page said.<\/p>\n More information about the P-3 AEW and the CBP\u2019s drug-busting efforts can be found in a September 2021 feature<\/a> by the agency. The aircraft is used in missions requiring long overheard station time, hemispheric range, inclement weather and environmental conditions, says the agency and is considered \u201cintegral in AMO\u2019s strategy to secure U.S. borders and enforce U.S. laws.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Both aircraft can fly for 12 hours, with the P-3 AEW having a range of 3,000 nautical miles and a maximum altitude of 26,000 feet, while the corresponding figures for the P-3 LRT stand at 4,000 NM and 28,000 feet.<\/p>\n \u201cCoupled with the P-3 AEW\u2019s ability to detect and track multiple targets, the P-3 LRT can intercept, identify, and track those targets,\u201d explains the CBP. The P-3 LRT has a specialized payload which includes an APG-66 radar, the same installed on early variants of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and a SeaVue maritime search radar.<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>Customs and Border Protection\u2019s P-3 AEW<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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). A U.S. Customs and Border Protection P-3B AEW and an AFSOC C-146 Wolfhound are also heading to the region, but the latter two flights are quite regular.<\/p>\n
\nTROY072 \/\/ N142CS \/\/ #A0AA61<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/dsRJqxDepb<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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Customs and Border Protection P-3B Orion N423SK descendiendo en Cura\u00e7ao procedente de Jacksonville. pic.twitter.com\/YfJ4FmKKzv<\/a><\/p>\nCBP\u2019s P-3 AEW detection and monitoring aircraft<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>P-3 AEW & P-3 LRT coordinated patrols<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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