The Hickory Aviation Museum’s P-3C Orion Bureau Number 156515 is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation. VP-30 flew this aircraft into Hickory Regional Airport from NAS Jacksonville, FL September 2017. Coordinated by Kyle and Kregg Kirby.

The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine warfare and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1962. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily distinguished from the Electra by its distinctive tail stinger or "MAD Boom", used for the magnetic detection of submarines.

Over the years, the aircraft has seen numerous design developments, most notably in its electronics packages. Numerous navies and air forces around the world continue to use the P-3 Orion, primarily for maritime patrol, reconnaissance, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare. A total of 757 P-3s have been built, and in 2012, it joined the handful of military aircraft including the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, Lockheed C-130 Hercules and the Lockheed U-2 that have seen over 50 years of continuous use by the United States military. The Boeing P-8 Poseidon will eventually replace the U.S. Navy's remaining P-3C aircraft.