Official CBP Air & Marine Corpus Christi NASOC P-3 Orion Patch — Border Patrol from the Sky
CBP Air & Marine flies P-3 Orions from Corpus Christi — hunting drug smugglers instead of submarines.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations operates P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft from the National Air Security Operations Center (NASOC) at Corpus Christi, Texas. These former Navy P-3s have been repurposed for the counter-narcotics and border security mission, using their advanced surveillance sensors and long endurance to patrol vast stretches of ocean and coastline. CBP's P-3 Orion crews detect, track, and interdict drug smuggling aircraft and maritime vessels, providing the airborne intelligence that enables law enforcement to make seizures. The transition from Navy ASW to CBP border patrol gave the venerable P-3 a second career.
Perfect For: CBP Air and Marine personnel, P-3 Orion second-career enthusiasts, counter-narcotics aviation professionals, border security supporters, and law enforcement aviation patch collectors.
From submarine hunting to drug busting — the P-3 still patrols.