The RAAF were desperate for a new MR aircraft to replace their aging Lincolns. In the short term it looked as though the Shackleton was the best option, but the RAAF opted for the Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune instead.
However the need to patrol vast tracts of ocean in the South West Pacific led the RAAF to look for a longer range type as well. The only aircraft that came close to the RAAF requirement was the Canadair CL-28 Argus. Negotiations between the RAAF and Canadair took some time, but eventually an order for 12 Argus aircraft was placed, with deliveries to be made between 1959 and 1961.
11 Squadron RAAF traded in its P2V-5s for the new type, converting to the type during 1960. The service life of the RAAF Argus fleet was long and during its service the type flew thousands of missions across the oceans around Australia, as well as participating in exercises in the USA, Canada and Singapore.
The Argus was eventually replaced by the P-3C Orion, as the RAAF moved to a single type for its maritime patrol operations, with the last Argus flight being undertaken in September 1987.
