An S-3B Viking flies by a Russian/Soviet Union Kilo Class submarine. (Released)
During the Cold War, the U.S. Navy introduced the Lockheed S-3 Viking to counter the Soviet submarine threat.
The plane was a carrier-based, all-weather, long-range, multi-mission jet designed for hunting and destroying subs. The aircraft played so many roles during its service that when it was phased out in 2009, it took four aircraft to replace its mission.
Soviet Submarine Threat. Submarines are covert, lethal, and sophisticated. They can be deployed anywhere under the sea to deliver deadly force.
Submarines attracted the attention of Soviet officials during the First World War; the Soviets copied and expanded the German model. The expansion during the 1960s allowed the Russian Navy to patrol the oceans with nuclear-powered ballistic missile subs.
This communist naval threat was considerable and continued to grow. As a result, a cat-and-mouse game developed between Russian subs and allied antisubmarine assets.
The prosecution of rival subs involves sophisticated combinations of sensors, technologies, and trained personnel. Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) is a technologically heavy branch of underwater war that employs ships, planes, subs, and other methods to find, track, and annihilate enemy submarines.
Before WWII, the only offensive tactic was to wait for the submarine to surface and then attack; once below the sea, the sub was free to roam undetected to deliver its deadly punch. However, specific aircraft with unique aerial capabilities were developed during WWII to locate and destroy submarines.
An S-3B Viking launched off the flight deck of USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)in the Persian Gulf in 2005. U.S. Navy photo by PH2 Michael D. Cole (Released)
Protecting the Fleet. In the 1940s, escort carriers brought sea-based airborne ASW into existence. The U.S. Navy adopted the hunter-killer concept using TBF and F4F torpedo bombers flying from the decks of escort ships. The planes used the Mark 24 “mine” (Fido) to destroy subs. Fido was an air-dropped weapon that used passive acoustic homing and torpedo integration.
In addition, aircraft radars advanced to detect the periscope of submarines at the water level. As aircraft ASW capabilities developed, so did submarine technologies. Consequently, the subs become quieter and more difficult to detect.
The Soviets continued to grow their submarine navy, which reached 480 boats by the end of the 1970s. The armada comprised, among others, the fast-attack Alfa class, the nuclear-powered ballistic missile carrying Typhoon, and the Oscar class, the largest attack sub ever built. The subs threatened the U.S. aircraft carrier and battle groups with their nuclear and conventional weapons and hide and seek capabilities.
The Modern Viking – Sub Hunter. It was necessary to counter the ability of the submarine to strike anywhere and at any time. Carrier-based fighters and bomber aircraft were ineffective against submarines. A new, agile, long-range ASW aircraft was required to combat the Soviet threat. The United States needed a high-performance plane to meet the ever-changing maritime strategies; speed, endurance, and flexibility were what S-3 Vikings contributed to the fight.
The S-3 replaced the piston-driven Grumman S-2 Tracker, the Navy’s first ASW aircraft for tracking and attacking submarines. A partnership between Lockheed and LTV (Ling-Temco-Vought) created the sophisticated Viking. In addition, Sperry Univac designed onboard computers that integrated aircraft sensors and sonobuoys. The complex S-3A entered service in 1974, with 187 aircraft manufactured before 1978.
The Viking crew deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) happily reported that while Santa had the wind knocked out of him after this too close encounter, the S-3 was also unhurt and the aircraft was undamaged. (Released)
The Viking seats four crew members, three officers, and one enlisted. Upfront is the pilot and copilot/tactical coordinator (COTAC), with the tactical coordinator (TACCO) and sensor operator (SENSO) in the back seats (all crew members sit on Douglas Escapac zero-zero, upward-firing ejection seats).
Right Tool for the Job. The S-3 Viking is a large, carrier-based plane with a wingspan of approximately 69 feet and a tail height of roughly 23 feet. The long-legged plane had a range of 2,700 miles and extended further with aerial refueling. Powered by two General Electric TF-34 turbofan, high-bypass engines, the Viking can climb over 5,000 feet per minute and descend over 15,000 feet per minute.
This impressive descent rate enabled the plane to loiter over an area, rapidly descend, and attack a target. Due to the twin-engines’ low-pitched sound, it was known as the “Hoover” after the vacuum cleaner.
The enormous technological advances in the Vikings allowed crew members to share information on their consoles. A general-purpose digital computer (GPDC) and multipurpose displays (MPD) allowed the four aviators aboard the Viking to perform workloads equivalent to the twelve-man P-3.
Besides sixty sonobuoys, the S-3 could carry general-purpose and cluster bombs, missiles, rockets, aerial torpedoes, mines, and special stores (B57 and B61 nuclear weapons). The sophisticated integration continued with a tail mounted retractable magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) boom and inflight refueling capability. In addition, the aircraft had an infrared sensor (FLIR) and an ALR-47 ESM system to detect electronic signals. All tactical information could be data linked to other ASW assets.
In 1974, Antisubmarine Squadron Forty-One (VS-41), at NAS North Island, Coronado, CA, took delivery of the first S-3s; the squadron served as the Replacement Air Group (RAG) for both the east and west coast until VS-27 was established in Jacksonville in the 1980s as the Fleet Replacement Squadron.
In 1975, the VS-21 Fighting Redtails from NAS Cecil Field were deployed with the Viking aboard the USS John F. Kennedy; the squadron had a long history of flying ASW missions, beginning with the TBM torpedo bomber and the S2F. The last squadron to fly the Viking, VS-22 Checkmates, was decommissioned in 2009.
A S-3 Viking showing its belly and its flexibility off the coast of California. The patterned black spots are sonobuoys launch portals. (Released)
Always Evolving. As the Soviet surface navy expanded in the 1980s, the Viking’s mission evolved to over-the-horizon targeting, reconnaissance, and anti-ship strike. Beginning in 1987, the Navy upgraded the Vikings to S-3Bs with enhanced sensors, avionics, weapons systems, and ISAR radar.
The Maverick Plus System allowed the aircraft to engage laser- or infrared-guided air-to-surface missiles; it also carried an AGM-84H/K “Harpoon” guided cruise missile.
Buddy stores (external fuel tanks) were also added to allow the enhanced Viking to take on the additional role of refueling other fleet aircraft. The updatedS-3B was fitted with an ALE-39 countermeasure dispenser system and 90 pounds of chaff, flares, and jammers. In 1998, the MAD boom and SENSO position were eliminated from the S-3B. NAS Cecil Field’s VS-30 Diamondcutters accepted the first advanced Viking in its mission to adapt to an ever-changing enemy threat.
In 1991, 16 S-3s entered service as ES-3A. The aircraft performed surveillance and intelligence-gathering roles for fleet and regional commanders. VQ-5 Sea Shadows were based in Guam. NAS Cecil Field was the home of the Atlantic Squadron, VQ-6 Black Ravens, until the facility closed in 2015 when they were moved to NAS Jacksonville. In 1999, both squadrons were decommissioned because of budget cuts. In addition, six Viking variants (‘Aladdin’ and ‘Beartrap’) were engaged in classified intelligence missions.
Thank You for your Service. The S-3 gave our nation unparalleled capabilities from its introduction until its disestablishment in 2009. During its operational era in the fleet, it was involved in just about every major international conflict. The S-3 was used over land during the 1991 Gulf War, attacking Iraqi Silkworm missile sites. It and its crews served during the Yugoslav wars and in Operation Enduring Freedom (2001) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003), where it neutralized critical targets in Basra (including Saddam Hussein’s personal yacht, Al Mansur). In 2008, the Navy deployed four Vikings from the Al Asad Airbase in Iraq to gather intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data.
In 2009, all but seven Vikings retired to make way for strike fighters and multi-mission aircraft. Three Vikings were attached to the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron of VX-30, where they cleared the ocean range of the Pacific Missile Test Center before live firing. In addition, four S-3Bs were transferred to NASA’s Glenn Research Center for testing. On July 13, 2021, NASA relinquished the last Viking to the San Diego Air and Space Museum.
What’s Next? The Vikings provided the Navy and America with critical assets and adaptability during trying times for our nation. The plane was vital in protecting the carrier group from sub and surface threats.
Today, with the increasing development of both Soviet and Chinese submarines, there is no fixed-wing carrier-based ASW plane to carry out the Viking’s unique detection and defense capabilities. The void is there. Will we pay the price in the long term for shortsightedness in the near term? Only time will tell.
Six Degrees of Separation. One of those four last S-3’s transferred to NASA, is on its way to its forever home, right here on The Liberty Coast. Former naval flight officer and squadron commanding officer, Ed (call sign “Junior”) Turner shared with Liberty Life that one of those four aircraft (Number 159746) has been acquired by the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum.”
The memorial is under development and located at the historic former NAS Cecil Field on Jacksonville’s westside. Having been assigned to local squadrons during its operational days, the acquired Viking will join their fully renovated A-7E Corsair and newly painted F-18C Hornet as part of a display of four aircraft honoring the legacy of the former Master Jet Base. An A-4 Skyhawk is projected to be the fourth aircraft put on display.
When displayed, the S-3 will also carry four names of crew who will represent all fallen comrades and Cecil Fields legacy. For more about the National POW/ MIA Memorial and Museum, visit POWMIAMemorial.org.
Glenn Cook, a former lieutenant commander and naval aviator, served flying the S-3A with VS-31 and the VSSU. He then flew for Delta Air Lines for 34 years, retiring as a Captain on the Boeing 777. He and his wife, Wendy, live on Jekyll Island, Georgia. Their son, Sam, is in the Marine Corps, flying the F-35.
