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Lockheed S-3 Viking

Lockheed · Maritime Patrol / ASW · USA · Cold War (1970–1991)

Lockheed S-3 Viking — Maritime Patrol / ASW
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The Lockheed S-3 Viking is an American twin-engine, four-seat, carrier-capable jet anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and surface-search aircraft developed by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) and operated by the U.S. Navy from 1974 until 2009. For 35 years it served as the Navy's principal carrier-based fixed-wing ASW platform, taking over from the piston-engine Grumman S-2 Tracker and eventually handing its mission to the SH-60F / MH-60R helicopter and the shore-based P-8 Poseidon. Lockheed built 188 S-3 Vikings at its Burbank, California facility between 1973 and 1978.

A high-mounted-wing twin jet, the airframe measures 53 ft (16.3 m) long with a 68 ft (20.9 m) wingspan, an empty weight of 26,650 lb and a maximum take-off weight of 52,540 lb. Power comes from two General Electric TF34-GE-2 / TF34-GE-400B turbofans rated at 9,275 lbf each — the same engine class fitted to the A-10 Thunderbolt II. Maximum speed is 510 mph (Mach 0.79), service ceiling 40,000 ft, range 2,303 nmi and ferry range 3,500 nmi. Distinctive features include the high wing (which improves low-altitude handling and reduces wing-deck interference), folding wings for hangar storage, AN/APS-116 (later AN/APS-137 ISAR) surface-search radar, the AN/AYS-1 acoustic processor for sonobuoy data, the AN/ASN-92 navigation system and a chin-mounted FLIR turret added under OUTLAW SHARK / VHF / SDLM upgrades. ASW missions used a four-person crew — pilot, co-pilot/TACCO, sensor station 1 and sensor station 2 — with reduced crews flown for surface-search and other roles.

The Viking's primary mission was carrier-based ASW: detecting, tracking and, on order, attacking enemy submarines using sonobuoy detection (60 launch tubes), an AN/ASQ-81 magnetic anomaly detector, onboard acoustic processing and Mk-46 / Mk-50 lightweight torpedoes. Secondary roles included surface search and surveillance, search and rescue, mid-air refuelling via the KS-3A buddy-tank fit (used inside carrier strike groups to pass fuel between embarked aircraft), communications relay, JDAM delivery in late-service variants, and the proposed C-3 carrier on-board delivery (COD) variant that never reached production. No helicopter could match the S-3's combined range and sensor load, making it unique among carrier-based aircraft as a dedicated long-range ASW platform.

U.S. Navy service ran from 1974 to 2009. The defining mission was Cold War shadowing of Soviet submarines across the Atlantic, Pacific and Mediterranean from 1974 to 1991. The Viking also flew Operation Earnest Will (Persian Gulf tanker escort, 1987-1988), where its surface-search sensors backed coalition warships, and supported anti-shipping work during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, then-Senator George W. Bush flew aboard an S-3B to USS Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003 for the famous 'Mission Accomplished' speech. VS-22 'Checkmates' at NAS Jacksonville, Florida flew the last frontline S-3 carrier mission in January 2009. Six S-3 Vikings continued in NASA service for research roles through 2021, and several airframes are now preserved at U.S. aviation museums.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Lockheed S-3 Viking was an American Navy jet that hunted submarines from aircraft carriers. The S-3 first flew in 1972 and entered Navy service in 1974. It served for 35 years until retiring in 2009. About 188 S-3 Vikings were built between 1973 and 1978.

The S-3 is 53 feet long with a 68-foot wingspan, longer than a school bus. Two General Electric TF34 jet engines each make 9,275 pounds of thrust. Top speed is 510 mph, faster than most race cars. The plane has high-mounted wings that fold up for carrier hangar storage.

Four crew sit inside: a pilot, a co-pilot, and two sensor officers. The S-3 carries sonar buoys (small floating microphones) that listen for submarines under the water. If the sonar buoys hear something, the S-3 can drop torpedoes or depth charges. A chin turret with cameras spots ships on the surface.

The S-3 was the Navy's main carrier-based sub-hunter from 1974 to 2009. The Navy retired the Viking and gave its job to SH-60F helicopters and the bigger P-8 Poseidon shore-based jet. A famous S-3 flew President George Bush onto the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in May 2003.

Fun Facts

  • The S-3 Viking was the Navy's main carrier sub-hunter from 1974 to 2009.
  • The S-3 is 53 feet long, longer than a school bus.
  • Top speed is 510 mph, faster than most race cars.
  • About 188 S-3 Vikings were built between 1973 and 1978.
  • The S-3 has folding wings for storage in carrier hangars.
  • The S-3 carries sonar buoys to listen for submarines.
  • A famous S-3 flew President Bush onto the USS Abraham Lincoln in 2003.

Kids’ Questions

How do sonar buoys work?

Sonar buoys are small floating devices dropped from the S-3 into the ocean. Each buoy has a small microphone that lowers under the water and listens for submarine sounds. The buoy sends what it hears by radio back to the S-3. By tracking sounds from several buoys, the crew can find a hidden submarine.

How is it different from a P-8?

The Boeing P-8 Poseidon is bigger, faster, and flies from land instead of carriers. The S-3 was small enough to fold its wings and fit in carrier hangars. The P-8 covers huge ocean areas from land bases. The S-3 covered the area around the carrier itself. Helicopters now handle the carrier sub-hunting job.

Why was it retired?

The Cold War ended in 1991, and the Russian submarine threat eased. The Navy decided that helicopters and the bigger P-8 Poseidon could do the sub-hunting job more cheaply. Carrier deck space is precious, and the Navy wanted more strike fighters there. So the S-3 was retired in 2009 after 35 years of service.

Variants

S-3A Viking (initial)
Original 1974 production variant, 187 delivered, fitted with AN/APS-116 surface-search radar. Backbone of U.S. Navy carrier-based ASW work up to the 1987 mid-life upgrade.
S-3B Viking (mid-life upgrade)
Major upgrade with the AN/APS-137 ISAR (Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar) for sharper surface-search and real-time imagery of surface targets, AGM-84 Harpoon compatibility, and the AN/AYS-2 acoustic processor. 118 S-3A airframes were upgraded to S-3B standard between 1987 and 1994. The S-3B is the principal service variant of the type.
ES-3A Shadow (electronic-warfare variant)
Electronic-warfare derivative that swapped the Viking's ASW mission systems for signals-intelligence and electronic-surveillance equipment. 16 conversions were completed and flown by the U.S. Navy for carrier-based ELINT collection from air wings between 1991 and 1999. After retirement in 1999, the role was partly absorbed by U.S. Navy / U.S. Marine Corps EA-6B Prowlers and other platforms.
KS-3A Buddy Tank (proposed)
Proposed dedicated buddy-tank refuelling variant that was never produced. Standard S-3A and S-3B aircraft retained refuelling-pod fits for buddy-tanking, removing the need for a dedicated KS-3A. Buddy-tanking remained an important secondary mission throughout S-3 service.
US-3A Viking COD (proposed)
Proposed Carrier On-Board Delivery (COD) variant that was never produced. The U.S. Navy continued operating the C-2A Greyhound for COD instead, and the C-2A was eventually replaced by the CMV-22B Osprey COD variant from 2020.

Notable Operators

U.S. Navy (former)
Sole operator. 187 S-3s were delivered to the U.S. Navy. Operating squadrons included VS-21 'Fighting Redtails', VS-22 'Checkmates', VS-24 'Scouts', VS-29 'Tridents', VS-30 'Diamond Cutters', VS-31 'Topcats', VS-32 'Maulers', VS-33 'Screwbirds', VS-35 'Boomerangs', VS-37 'Sawbucks', VS-38 'Red Griffins' and VS-41 'Shamrocks', plus Reserve squadrons. Main bases were NAS North Island (San Diego, California), NAS Jacksonville (Florida) and NAS Cecil Field (Florida, until 1999). Final retirement came in January 2009 with VS-22 'Checkmates' at NAS Jacksonville.
NASA (research, former)
NASA operated four to six ex-U.S. Navy S-3B Vikings as research aircraft from around 2008 to 2021, flying atmospheric research, sensor-development testing and other science missions out of NASA Glenn Research Center, Ohio. NASA retired the type around 2021, and several of those airframes are now in museum collections.
Republic of Korea Navy (proposed, declined)
South Korea evaluated S-3 acquisition in the late 2000s as part of a wider maritime-patrol recapitalisation but ultimately chose the P-8 Poseidon instead. Listed for context — illustrates the limited foreign export market for the S-3.
Preservation / museums
Around 25 surviving S-3 Vikings are preserved at U.S. aviation museums, including the National Naval Aviation Museum (Pensacola, Florida); USS Midway Museum (San Diego, California); USS Yorktown / Patriots Point (Mount Pleasant, South Carolina); Pacific Aviation Museum (Pearl Harbor, Hawaii); and the Pima Air and Space Museum (Tucson, Arizona). The aircraft is well-represented across U.S. naval-aviation collections.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the S-3 retired?

Service-life expiration combined with a shift in ASW doctrine. By 2009 the airframes had reached service-life limits and a structural-life-extension programme would have been costly. More importantly, U.S. Navy ASW thinking had moved away from dedicated fixed-wing carrier-based ASW toward distributed ASW using surface-warship sonars, helicopter dipping sonars and shore-based maritime-patrol aircraft. The carrier-based MH-60R Seahawk and the shore-based P-8 Poseidon together took over the Viking's ASW mission, while buddy-tanking and electronic surveillance passed to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler.

What was the 2003 'Mission Accomplished' flight?

On 1 May 2003, U.S. President George W. Bush flew aboard an S-3B Viking — call sign 'Navy 1', piloted by Commander John 'Skip' Lussier with Bush in the co-pilot's seat — from NAS North Island, San Diego, to USS Abraham Lincoln in the eastern Pacific. The aircraft conducted a tail-hook landing aboard the carrier, after which Bush gave a speech announcing the end of major combat operations in Iraq under a banner reading 'Mission Accomplished'. Bush became the first U.S. President to land on a carrier in a fixed-wing aircraft rather than a helicopter, and the flight became a defining image of the early Iraq War. The actual S-3B Viking used (BuNo 159387) is preserved at the USS Yorktown museum, Patriots Point, South Carolina.

How did the S-3 detect submarines?

Through a combined-sensor approach. Primary detection came from passive sonobuoys (60 launch tubes carried, including LOFAR Low-Frequency-Analysis-and-Recording types for distant submarine detection) processed by the onboard AN/AYS-1, later AN/AYS-2, acoustic processor. Secondary detection used the AN/ASQ-81 magnetic anomaly detector — a long boom extended from the rear fuselage during MAD operations to detect a submarine's distortion of Earth's magnetic field. Cueing came from the AN/APS-137 ISAR radar, picking up periscopes or masts above the surface. Once a contact was confirmed, the aircraft launched active sonobuoys (DICASS Directional Command-Activated Sonobuoy System) to develop bearing and range data for engagement.

What weapons did the S-3 carry?

A combined ASW, anti-shipping and buddy-tank loadout. ASW stores: up to 4 × Mk-46 / Mk-50 lightweight torpedoes plus up to 60 sonobuoys (sensor, not weapon). Anti-shipping, on the S-3B from 1987: up to 2 × AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Conventional ordnance for limited surface-warfare work included Mk-80 series bombs, GBU-12 Paveway II and AGM-65 Maverick in some configurations. Defensive fit was the AN/ALQ-141 / ALR-47 electronic-warfare suite — no air-to-air weapons, with the aircraft relying on speed and EW protection against air threats. Some late-service S-3Bs were cleared for AGM-84E SLAM (Standoff Land-Attack Missile) and JDAM, though these were rarely employed in service.

How does the S-3 compare to the P-3C Orion?

The two aircraft worked from different operating concepts. The P-3C Orion was shore-based, with four turboprops, 620 mph maximum speed, 7-12 hour mission endurance and longer-range surveillance. The S-3 Viking was carrier-based, twin-jet, 510 mph maximum speed, around 6 hour mission endurance, and was integrated with the carrier strike group. The P-3C delivered sustained ocean surveillance from shore; the S-3 provided close-in ASW protection from the deck. The two were complementary in service, and both were ultimately replaced by the shore-based P-8 Poseidon and the carrier-based MH-60R Seahawk.

How long did the S-3 serve?

35 years, from 1974 to 2009. That service life is exceptional for a U.S. Navy carrier-based aircraft — only the F-14 Tomcat at 32 years and the A-6 Intruder at 33 years come close. The longevity reflects a robust airframe, a sustained Navy requirement for carrier-based ASW through the Cold War and post-Cold War eras, and the extensive S-3B mid-life upgrade programme that refreshed the fleet. Many U.S. Navy aviators — the 'S-3 mafia' — spent entire careers inside the Viking community, and the aircraft picked up the U.S. Navy nickname 'Hoover' for the distinctive engine sound it made at low altitude.

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