S-3 Viking

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Image:Viking.e3.750pix.jpg The Lockheed S-3 Viking is a United States Navy jet aircraft used to hunt and destroy enemy submarines and provide surveillance of surface shipping. The S-3B version added a number of improvements to sensors, avionics, and weapons systems over the S-3A, including the capability of launch the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship cruise missile. It can be fitted with Aerial Refueling Stores (ARS), or "buddy stores", external fuel tanks that refuel other aircraft, to act as an airborne tanker. The ES-3A electronic reconnaissance version was fitted for electronic warfare and reconnaissance. Because of the high-pitched sound of the aircraft's engines, it is nicknamed the "Hoover" (after the vacuum cleaner).

The S-3A Viking replaced the piston-engined Grumman S-2 Tracker and entered fleet service in 1974. The S-3 is a carrier-based, subsonic, all-weather, long-range, multi-mission aircraft. It operates primarily with carrier battle groups in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) roles. It carries automated weapon systems and is capable of extended missions with in-flight refueling.

The last production S-3A was delivered in August 1978. The inventory includes S-3As and S-3Bs. Sixteen S-3As were converted to ES-3 Shadows for carrier-based electronic reconnaissance (ELINT) duties. A few units were also converted for utility and limited cargo duty, known as the US-3B, all of which were retired by 1998. Plans were also made to develop the KS-3A version out of the basic airframe, a carrier-based tanker aircraft to replace the retired KA-6 but these were ultimately cancelled.

On May 1, 2003, US President George W. Bush rode in the co-pilot seat of a Viking that landed on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, where he delivered his "Mission Accomplished" speech announcing the end of major combat in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. That Navy flight is the only one to use the callsign "Navy One".

Since the submarine threat has been perceived as reduced, Vikings have had the majority of their antisubmarine warfare equipment removed and are now used primarily for sea surface search, sea and ground attack, over the horizon targeting, and aircraft refueling. As a result, crews are now usually limited to two, though three person crews are not unusual with certain missions.

The aircraft can seat four crew members. The crew station configuration places the pilot and a copilot/tactical coordinator (COTAC) in the front of the cockpit and the tactical coordinator (TACCO) and sensor operator (SENSO) in the back.

A number of recent upgrade programs have been inplemented. These included the Carrier Airborne Inertial Navigation System II (CAINS II) upgrade, which replaced older inertial hardware with ring-laser gyros and additional GPS systems and added electronic flight instruments (EFI). The Maverick Plus System (MPS) added the capability to employ the AGM-65E laser-guided or AGM-65F infrared-guided Maverick air-to-surface missile and the AGM-84H/K Stand-off Land Attack Missile Expanded Response (SLAM/ER). The SLAM/ER is a GPS/inertial/infrared guided cruise missile that can be controlled by the crew in the terminal phase of flight if an AWW-13 data link pod is carried by the aircraft.

The aircraft has two wing stations, one at the pylon in each wing, that can be used to carry fuel tanks, general purpose and cluster bombs, missiles, rockets, and storage pods. It also has four bomb bay stations that can be used to carry general purpose bombs and torpedoes. A number of sonobuoy chutes are fitted, and there are three dispensers for chaff, flares, and expendable jammers.

Navy plans call for the retirement of all Vikings by 2009, and their missions will be spread between the other battlegroup fixed-wing and rotary-wing assets.

During FIDAE 2006 [1], the US Navy offers them, with deliveries beginning in 2009, to the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru.

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