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.
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