Lockheed / Vought S-3 Viking Naval Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) (2024)

Naval Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) / Aerial Tanker Aircraft

United States | 1974

"The Lockheed-Vought S-3 Viking series was the first digitally-minded Anti-Submarine Warfare platform adopted for service with the United States Navy."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/19/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

The S-3 Viking series of carrier-borne aircraft was a joint production effort from the Lockheed and Vought aircraft firms. Selected from no fewer than five proposals from various other companies an including the two aforementioned firms, the S-3 was designed to a United States Navy requirement for an anti-submarine aircraft platform built around the then-powerful Univac digital computer. The system was a direct result of the ever elusive new generation of Soviet submarines constantly testing the waters in an around the United States. The Viking would go on to become the Navy's most advanced and all-computerized aircraft at the time.

By 1972, the YS-3A was developed into eight service evaluation models. Vought's contribution to the overall aircraft was in the production of the wing elements, tail assembly, engine nacelles and the landing gears system. The resulting aircraft was a highly-identifiable high-shoulder mounted wing design with the two large General Electric turbofans hung underneath. Crew accommodations amounted to a total of four and included a pilot, copilot, sensor systems operator and the tactical coordinator. A single large rudder was fixed atop the tail assembly. An internal weapons bay provided storage for up to four torpedoes, bombs and mines.

Upgrades to the base S-3A system eventually produced the standardized S-3B, fitted with updated acoustic processing, newer sonorbouy system, improved radar and the ability to mount, target and fire the powerful AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile system on two new external hardpoints to compliment the internally-held stores. Most all existing "A" models were now modernized to the "B" standard. B-models were field by 1984.

With the need for such a dedicated anti-submarine system diminished on the new modern battlefield, the S-3 system has be relegated to "buddy" tanking services. As such, fewer and fewer S-3 systems are kept aboard carrier groups these days, though the system itself is intended to be fielded up through 2015. An electronic warfare conversion model exists as the ES-3A "Shadow" Elint as well.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Lockheed / Vought S-3A Viking Naval Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) / Aerial Tanker Aircraft.

2 x General Electric TF-34-GE-2 turbofan engines developing 9,275 lb of thrust each.
Propulsion

506 mph
814 kph | 440 kts
Max Speed

35,007 ft
10,670 m | 7 miles
Service Ceiling

2,302 miles
3,705 km | 2,001 nm
Operational Range

4,200 ft/min
1,280 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Lockheed / Vought S-3A Viking Naval Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) / Aerial Tanker Aircraft.

4
(MANNED)
Crew

53.3 ft
16.26 m
O/A Length

68.7 ft
(20.93 m)
O/A Width

22.7 ft
(6.93 m)
O/A Height

26,649 lb
(12,088 kg)
Empty Weight

52,541 lb
(23,832 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Lockheed / Vought S-3 Viking Naval Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) / Aerial Tanker Aircraft .

Internal Weapons Bay cleared for the carrying of 4 x Torpedoes OR 4 x Mk 36 Destructors OR 4 x Mk 82 Drop Bombs OR 4 x Mk 53 Naval Mines

Underwing Hardpoints (S-3B only) for 2 x Torpedoes OR 2 x AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles OR 2 x AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missiles OR 2 x Rocket Pods.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Lockheed / Vought S-3 Viking family line.

YS-3A - Service Evaluation Models of which eight were produced.
S-3A - Initial Production Variant of which 187 were produced.
S-3B - Improved S-3A model set as "standard" by 1984; ability to field and fire the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile; most all existing S-3A models were coverted to B level.
US-3A - USN model operated as Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) sans anti-submarine warfare equipment; four utilized in this fashion.
KS-3A - Single dedicated tanker variant (evaluation model only).
ES-3A "Shadow" Elint - Electronic Warfare Variant.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Lockheed / Vought S-3 Viking. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 280 Units
Contractor(s): Lockheed / Vought - USA

[ United States ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 750mph

Lo: 375mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (506mph).

Graph Average of 563 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

280

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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