CBP retires aircraft following final operational flight

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations marked the final operational flight of its last P-3 Airborne Early Warning aircraft Sept. 30, 2026, at the National Air Security Operations Center in Jacksonville.

For decades, Jacksonville-based P-3 AEW aircraft supported the nation’s border security mission by conducting wide-area aerial surveillance over the Caribbean, the Gulf of America and transit zones across Central and South America.

Known by flight crews as the “Dome,” the P-3 AEW paired the long-range capabilities of the Lockheed P-3 aircraft with radar, communications and command-and-control systems. Operating from NASOC Jacksonville and NASOC Corpus Christi, Texas, the aircraft functioned as an airborne command center. It tracked multiple air and maritime targets and supported complex operations to stop illicit activity with partners, including Joint Interagency Task Force South.

“The P-3 AEW platform carried out a critical mission for decades,” said a NASOC Jacksonville aircrew member. “It's crews monitored millions of square miles of air and maritime approaches, helping identify airborne threats, counter illicit drug trafficking and disrupt networks facilitating illegal migration before they reached U.S. borders.”

During their service, Jacksonville-based P-3 AEW aircraft logged tens of thousands of flight hours supporting counter-narcotics and border security missions. NASOC Jacksonville crews also deployed in support of domestic and international emergency response operations, including humanitarian relief and emergency communications coordination after major natural disasters in the Caribbean.

Although the P-3 AEW aircraft are retiring from AMO’s active inventory, the experience and technical expertise of its aircrews, maintenance specialists and flight engineers will continue to support AMO’s aviation mission. Following the final flight, airfield rescue personnel honored the aircraft with a traditional water salute at NASOC Jacksonville.

AMO safeguards the nation by anticipating and confronting threats through aviation and maritime law enforcement expertise, innovative capabilities and partnerships at the border and beyond. AMO is an operational component of CBP. It works alongside federal, state and international partners to disrupt smuggling operations and safeguard national security.

For more information about AMO, visit www.cbp.gov or follow AMO on Facebook, Instagram and X.

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