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S-3B
Viking
Description: The S-3B Viking
is an all weather, carrier-based jet aircraft, providing
protection against hostile surface combatants while also
functioning as the Carrier Battle Groups' primary
overhead/mission tanker. Extremely versatile, the
aircraft is equipped for many missions, including
day/night surveillance, electronic countermeasures,
command/control/communications warfare, and search and
rescue (SAR).
Features: The S-3B's
high-speed computer system processes and displays
information generated by its targeting-sensor systems.
These systems include; Inverse/Synthetic Aperture Radar
(ISAR/SAR), infrared (IR) sensor and an Electronic
Support (ESM) system. To engage and destroy targets, the
S-3B Viking employs an impressive array of airborne
weaponry including the AGM 84 Harpoon Anti-ship Missile,
AGM 65 Maverick Ir missile and a wide selection of
conventional bombs and torpedoes. Future Viking aircraft
will also have a control capability for the AGM 84
Standoff Land Attack Missile Extended Range (SLAM-ER)
missile. The S-3B provides the fleet with a very
effective fixed wing, "over the horizon"
aircraft to combat the significant and varied threats
presented by modern maritime combatants.
Background: Derived from the
S-3A and formerly configured for Anti-Submarine Warfare
(ASW), the S-3B of the 1990s has evolved into a premier
surveillance and precision-targeting platform for the
Navy along with modern precision-guided missile
capabilities. On March 25, 2003, an S-3B from the
"Red Griffins" of Sea Control Squadron
Thirty-eight (VS 38) became the first such aircraft to
attack inland and to fire a laser-guided Maverick missile
in combat. The attack was made on "significant naval
target" in the Tigris River near Basra, Iraq. VS-38
was embarked in USS Constellation (CV 64).
General Characteristics:
Primary Function: Force
Protection, Organic overhead/mission tanking
Contractor: Lockheed-California Company
Unit Cost: $27 million
Propulsion: Two General Electric TF-34-GE-400B
turbofan engines (9,275 pounds of thrust each)
Length: 53 feet 4 inches (16 meters)
Wingspan: 68 feet 8 inches (20.6 meters)
Height: 22 feet 9 inches (6.9 meters)
Weight: Max design gross take-off: 52,539 pounds
(23,643 kg)
Speed: 450 knots (518 mph, 828.8 kph)
Ceiling: 40,000 feet
Range: 2,300+ nautical miles (2,645 statute miles,
4232 km)
Armament: Up to 3,958 pounds (1,781 kg) of AGM 84
Harpoon, AGM 65 missiles, torpedoes, rockets and bombs.
Crew: Two/Four
Service Entry:1975
(credits: US Navy)
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