Lockheed S-3B Viking
With the aging of the Grumman S-2 Tracker and the increasing effectiveness of Soviet submarines, the US Navy issued a requirement for a new carrier-based ASW aircraft. Lockheed won the contract, partnering with LTV to design carrier-specific equipment and Univac to design the ASW suite. The resulting S-3A Viking first flew in January 1972 and entered the fleet in February 1974.
While the S-2 integrated the hunter-killer team concept into a single airframe, the S-3 went one step further by completely computerizing the sub-hunting process, integrating the entire sensor suite into one system rather than in several as on the S-2. Initially, this employed a Univac AN/AYK-10 computer served by Texas Instruments AN/APS-116 radar and AN/ASQ-81 MAD sensor in a retractable tail boom. Flown by a crew of four, the S-3’s interior was so efficient that one aviation writer described it as the most compactly designed aircraft in history.
The S-3A--nicknamed "Hoover" for the sound of its engines-- acquired a reputation for being a reliable, easy to fly aircraft, and spawned a number of variants, including the US-3A carrier-onboard delivery (COD) transport aircraft and the ES-3A Shadow Elint variant. A dedicated KS-3A tanker never went into production, but S-3s were increasingly equipped with buddy refuelling packs. When the KA-6D Intruder dedicated tanker was retired from the US Navy in the mid-1990s, the S-3 took over the role, though its relatively slow speed meant it could not accompany strikes into enemy territory. Despite that, the S-3 always had the capability to carry not only antisubmarine ordnance such as torpedoes and depth charges, but also bombs and later the AGM-84 Harpoon antiship missile and AGM-65 Maverick AGM. The S-3’s antiship capability was used in both Gulf Wars: in 1991, a S-3 sank an Iraqi attack boat with conventional bombs, while in 2003 a S-3 destroyed an Iraqi command post with a Maverick in Basra.
Beginning in 1991, the S-3As in service were modified to S-3B standard, with upgraded avionics and a new APS-127V synthetic-aperature radar, giving the S-3B a significant ship-detection and SAR capability as well. Though the ES-3A was withdrawn from service in the mid-1990s, several S-3Bs were converted to littorial reconnaissance (Gray Wolf) and ground surveillance (Brown Boy) roles. With the reduction of submarine threats to the US Navy, the S-3 fleet is being gradually retired; those remaining in service have had their ASW equipment removed and serve primarily as tankers. Their role has been largely replaced by the SH-60B/F Seahawk series, and, aside from a handful of test aircraft, the S-3 was retired in 2009.
This particular S-3B is Bureau Number 159731, which entered service sometime in the 1980s. Its history is obscure until 2000, when it flew with VS-29 ("Dragonfires") aboard USS Carl Vinson; in 2004, it was transferred to VS-41 ("Shamrocks") at NAS North Island, California. In 2006, it was withdrawn from service and donated to Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown.
When I took this picture in 2014 aboard the USS Yorktown, the museum foundation was in the middle of repainting it, hence its worn condition (note also the rust on the deck; the humid South Carolina climate is hell on preserved ships and aircraft). The "S" above the aircraft number indicates that the squadron was given an award by the US Navy for safety.
Lockheed S-3B Viking
With the aging of the Grumman S-2 Tracker and the increasing effectiveness of Soviet submarines, the US Navy issued a requirement for a new carrier-based ASW aircraft. Lockheed won the contract, partnering with LTV to design carrier-specific equipment and Univac to design the ASW suite. The resulting S-3A Viking first flew in January 1972 and entered the fleet in February 1974.
While the S-2 integrated the hunter-killer team concept into a single airframe, the S-3 went one step further by completely computerizing the sub-hunting process, integrating the entire sensor suite into one system rather than in several as on the S-2. Initially, this employed a Univac AN/AYK-10 computer served by Texas Instruments AN/APS-116 radar and AN/ASQ-81 MAD sensor in a retractable tail boom. Flown by a crew of four, the S-3’s interior was so efficient that one aviation writer described it as the most compactly designed aircraft in history.
The S-3A--nicknamed "Hoover" for the sound of its engines-- acquired a reputation for being a reliable, easy to fly aircraft, and spawned a number of variants, including the US-3A carrier-onboard delivery (COD) transport aircraft and the ES-3A Shadow Elint variant. A dedicated KS-3A tanker never went into production, but S-3s were increasingly equipped with buddy refuelling packs. When the KA-6D Intruder dedicated tanker was retired from the US Navy in the mid-1990s, the S-3 took over the role, though its relatively slow speed meant it could not accompany strikes into enemy territory. Despite that, the S-3 always had the capability to carry not only antisubmarine ordnance such as torpedoes and depth charges, but also bombs and later the AGM-84 Harpoon antiship missile and AGM-65 Maverick AGM. The S-3’s antiship capability was used in both Gulf Wars: in 1991, a S-3 sank an Iraqi attack boat with conventional bombs, while in 2003 a S-3 destroyed an Iraqi command post with a Maverick in Basra.
Beginning in 1991, the S-3As in service were modified to S-3B standard, with upgraded avionics and a new APS-127V synthetic-aperature radar, giving the S-3B a significant ship-detection and SAR capability as well. Though the ES-3A was withdrawn from service in the mid-1990s, several S-3Bs were converted to littorial reconnaissance (Gray Wolf) and ground surveillance (Brown Boy) roles. With the reduction of submarine threats to the US Navy, the S-3 fleet is being gradually retired; those remaining in service have had their ASW equipment removed and serve primarily as tankers. Their role has been largely replaced by the SH-60B/F Seahawk series, and, aside from a handful of test aircraft, the S-3 was retired in 2009.
This particular S-3B is Bureau Number 159731, which entered service sometime in the 1980s. Its history is obscure until 2000, when it flew with VS-29 ("Dragonfires") aboard USS Carl Vinson; in 2004, it was transferred to VS-41 ("Shamrocks") at NAS North Island, California. In 2006, it was withdrawn from service and donated to Patriots Point and the USS Yorktown.
When I took this picture in 2014 aboard the USS Yorktown, the museum foundation was in the middle of repainting it, hence its worn condition (note also the rust on the deck; the humid South Carolina climate is hell on preserved ships and aircraft). The "S" above the aircraft number indicates that the squadron was given an award by the US Navy for safety.