LetsGoSeeIt.com - Your Guide to Southern California and Beyond


S-3 Viking



S-3 Viking
The quest for a successor to the S-2 Tracker anti-submarine (ASW) aircraft led in 1969 to the jet-powered Viking from Lockheed, a newcomer in shipboard tactical aviation. The S-3 packed not only an array of sensors including sonobuoys, radar, a magnetic detector, and infrared gear, but also armament that could include up to four torpedoes into an airframe compact enough to fly from carriers.

Despite the Viking's small dimensions, the Midway could not find room for the S-3 in her air wing and relied upon helicopters for ASW. This aircraft is depicted in the markings of VS-41, the Shamrocks, the S-3 training squadron for the Pacific Fleet based at Naval Air Station North Island.


S-3 Viking S-3 Viking