Which aircraft replaced the Canadian Argus?

Short answer

The Lockheed CP-140 Aurora. The Argus flew its last operational mission on 24 July 1981, and the Aurora was acquired in the early 1980s to replace it and sustain Canada's anti-submarine commitments to NATO in the northwest Atlantic. It uses the P-3 Orion airframe with the S-3 Viking's electronics.

Published: November 5, 2026 · Updated: November 5, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Which aircraft replaced the Canadian Argus?

20181208 JMSDF Lockheed P-3 Orion landing Naha Air Show 2018-44

From the Argus to the Aurora

The Argus flew its last operational mission on 24 July 1981 and was replaced by the Lockheed CP-140 Aurora. The Aurora was acquired in the early 1980s to replace the CP-107 Argus and continue meeting Canada's anti-submarine commitments to NATO in the northwest Atlantic sector. Externally it closely resembles the Lockheed P-3C Orion.

Orion airframe, Viking electronics

The aircraft is based on the Lockheed P-3 Orion airframe, but fits the electronics suite of the Lockheed S-3 Viking.

What the RCAF was leaving behind

The Argus derived from the Bristol Britannia airliner, from which it took the same wings, tail surfaces, and landing gear. The hybrid design was initially called "Britannia Maritime Reconnaissance," or "Britannia MR." The powerplant did change: instead of the Bristol Proteus turboprops, Wright R-3350 turbo-compound piston radials were fitted, which consumed less fuel — a necessity for long, low-altitude missions. The Argus replaced the last Avro Lancasters and also the Lockheed Neptunes that had been bought as a stopgap measure. It was one of the most effective anti-submarine warfare aircraft of its time and a mainstay of the RCAF.