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By
1944, the U.S. Navy had an urgent demand for a land-based patrol
aircraft. Using a 1941 design study for such an aircraft,
Lockheed received a contract and flew the prototype XP2V-1 in
1945. The prototype carried a crew of seven and had a weapons
bay for two torpedoes or 12 depth charges.
In 1946 a P2V-1 named the "Truculent
Turtle"
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set a world non-stop distance record of 11,235
miles by
flying from Perth, Australia to Columbus, Ohio
The P2V Neptune saw service in Korea.
Re-designated the P-2 in 1962, the Neptune also saw service
in Vietnam as well as for many U.S. allies. Lockheed produced
1,181. |
