Lockheed S-3

Lockheed S-3 Viking
Lockheed S-3A "Viking"
Type:	Submarine fighter plane
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	Lockheed Corporation
First flight:	January 21, 1972
Commissioning:	1974
Production time:	1974 to 1978
Number of pieces:	187

The Lockheed S-3 Viking is a carrier-based submarine fighter of the US Navy , which was in active service from 1974 to 2009 mostly from aircraft carriers and then used as a test aircraft until 2016.

history

When it was foreseeable that the aging submarine fighter Grumman S-2 Tracker, powered by two radial engines, would no longer allow effective use, a design competition was called in 1967. Convair with the Model 21 , Grumman with the Project G-304, Lockheed with the CL-806 / CL995, McDonnell Douglas with their Model 201, and North American Rockwell participated in the tender . This resulted in the model CL-806 / CL995, a turbofan- powered submarine fighter, designed by Lockheed . In direct comparison to the S-2, the S-3 can search an area three times as large and carry twice as many weapons and buoys. The contract for $ 461 million for an initial six test aircraft and three additional cells for test purposes was placed on August 1, 1969.

The first of eight test aircraft (YS-3A) had its maiden flight on January 21, 1972 with John Christiansen and Lyle Schaefer in the cockpit. The first operational aircraft was handed over to the US Navy on February 20, 1974. The first squadron began flying on the USS John F. Kennedy in mid-1975 . The development and commissioning could be adhered to in the forecast timeframe. The machine was built in Palmdale (California).

When the last S-3A Viking was produced in 1978, a total of 187 machines were in service with the US Navy. In the mid-1980s, the S-3 was subjected to a modernization program. The first machine of this type took off on its maiden flight on September 13, 1984. A total of 119 machines were modified to S-3B.

The S-3 was officially decommissioned in the US Navy by the VS-22 submarine squadron on January 29, 2009. Four machines are still used for sea surveillance by the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Barking Sands on the Hawaiian island of Kauai . The NASA received the 2004 last-built S-third The John H. Glenn Research Center in Lewis Field near Cleveland , Ohio , has been using the machine for test flights since 2008. The Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) in Jacksonville, Florida delivered the first S-3B Viking, callsign "Bloodhound 700", for a second career in April 2010 to the VX-30 Weapons Test Squadron , which they use for surveillance tasks on Point Mugu Test range begins. Another S-3B Viking, callsign "Bloodhound 701", entered service in late 2010. For the 100th anniversary of the US naval aviation, the aircraft was painted in the camouflage colors of 1942. The two machines were decommissioned in early 2016.

construction

S-3A with extended MAD

The S-3 Viking was initially designed exclusively as a carrier-based aircraft for fighting enemy submarines and for remote sensing. The standard equipment consisted of a MAD ( Magnetic Anomaly Detector ) boom that could be extended from the stern , sonar buoys that could be dropped from the bottom of the fuselage , an internal weapon bay for weapons used to combat submarines, and infrared sensors under the cockpit . The complex anti-submarine control systems, which are similar to those of the CP-140 Aurora , mean that the electronics costs are the same as those of the rest of the aircraft. Thanks to the collaboration with Vought (LTV), the main landing gear could be taken over from the F-8 Crusader and the nose landing gear from the Vought A-7 Corsair II. The General Electric TF34 -GE-400A engine is also used in the Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. However, no thrust reverser is used in the S-3.

The four crew members have an air-conditioned pressurized cabin with Douglas ESCAPAC -IE-1 ejection seats that project upwards . The pilot sits in the front left, the copilot on the right. In addition to navigation and communication, the copilot is also responsible for radar, FLIR and MAD. In the back of the cabin on the left is the work console of the sensor operator who monitors the acoustic systems. The tactical coordinator is located on the right. This plans and directs attacks against detected submarines. For use on aircraft carriers, a pull rod is built into the nose wheel to snap into the catapult slide and an extendable catch hook is built into the stern. For space-saving storage on aircraft carriers , it had foldable wings and a foldable vertical stabilizer . For aerial refueling above the cockpit an extendable probe is installed. The ESM (Electronic Support Measure) system was the most developed system at the time. It is passive and collects signals (radio and radar), which it compares with a database of known signals from allied or enemy ship and aircraft systems.

The approximately 5 m long extendable antenna of the AN / ASQ-81 (MAD) is also installed in the rear. This can determine deviations from the terrestrial magnetic field, whereby submerged submarines can be discovered. Ejectable buoys such as the SSQ-41 Lofar, a passive low-frequency analysis and recording device, are used for more precise localization. The various signals are processed by the OL-82 / AYS computer and displayed on the screen.

variants

S-3A of the VS-21, USS Constellation , 1985

US-3A of the VRC-50 Squadron in 1987

ES-3A of the VQ-5 squadron

S-3B during catapult launch

S-3B: the weapons bay, sonar buoys and refueling containers are recognizable

S-3B 'N601NA' from NASA Glenn Research Center Summer 2018

YS-3A

Pre-production aircraft, 8 built.

S-3A

Submarine chase aircraft, 186 built. Equipment: AN / APS-116 radar, FLIR , AN / ASQ-81 MAD and AN / ALR-47 ESM .

ES-3A

Conversion of 16 S-3A for electronic reconnaissance from 1991, AN / APS-137 radar. From 1993, sixteen S-3A were converted into electronic early warning and reconnaissance aircraft ( ES-3A "Shadow" ), which should replace the outdated EA-3B Skywarrior . It soon became apparent, however, that this type would not be successful either because of the insufficient range (due to the greatly increased payload) and because of the incompatibility with other early warning systems. They were finally decommissioned in 1999.

KS-3A

Attempts followed later with the conversion of the fifth YS-3A to a tanker aircraft , the KS-3A . This had an extendable tank hose in the rear of the fuselage. After the project was abandoned, the fuselage was converted into a US-3A.

US-3A

One of the eight prototypes has been converted to the US-3A (Carrier On-Board Delivery) for light transport tasks. For this purpose, the entire anti-submarine defense electronics were left out and a passenger cabin for six people was set up behind the cockpit. Two 454 kg containers for the transport of freight have been installed at the suspension points. A loading ramp has also been installed in the rear. A total of five YS-3A, KS-3A and S-3A were converted in this way.

S-3B

Conversion of 119 S-3A from 1984 onwards with new avionics, AN / APS-137 radar, JTIDS , AGM-84 Harpoon missiles and Douglas D-704 containers for refueling other aircraft. On January 30, 2009, the S-3B was officially decommissioned by the US Navy, only to reactivate a small number in 2010. Four machines are still flying for NASA's Glenn Research Center for icing tests.

Technical specifications

Parameter	S-3B Viking data
crew	4th
length	16.26 m
Wingspan	unfolded: 20.93 m folded: 8.99 m
Wing area	55.55 m²
Wing extension	7.89
Wing loading	minimum (empty weight): 184 kg / m² nominal (normal take-off weight): 349 kg / m² maximum (max. takeoff weight): 349 kg / m²
height	6.93 m
Empty mass	12,057 kg
normal takeoff mass	17,324 kg
Max. Takeoff mass	23,831 kg
Fuel capacity	internal: 7320 l external: 1136 l (in two drop tanks)
Top speed	835 km / h (at optimal altitude) 816 km / h (at sea level)
Marching speed	650 km / h
Rate of climb	26 m / s
Service ceiling	12,465 m
Transfer range	5560 km
Rescue system	4 × Douglas Aircraft ESCAPAC-IE-1- ejection seat
Engine	two turbofan engines GE TF34-GE-400B
Thrust	2 × 41.26 kN
Thrust-to-weight ratio	maximum (empty weight): 0.7 nominal (normal take-off mass): 0.49 minimum (max.starting mass): 0.35

Sensors

• 1 × extendable AN / ASQ-81 Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom
• 1 × AN / APS-116 sea search radar
• 1 × OR-89-FLIR tower with 3x optical magnification
• 1 × AN / APS-137 Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR, E-3A only)
• 13 × AN / ARS-2 sonar buoy signal receiver

Internal sonar buoy launcher behind the weapon bay. Cross-shaped launcher for 60 A-class sonar buoys with a diameter of 12.38 cm

• AN / SSQ-41 LOFAR
• AN / SSQ-53 DIFAR
• AN / SSQ-77 DIFAR VLAD
• AN / SSQ-62 DICASS
• AN / SSQ-36 BT
• AN / SSQ-47 NOTE
• Mk.25 smoke marker buoy
• Mk.58 smoke marker buoy

Weapon loading

Armament in the weapon bay

Explosive ordnance up to 1,814 kg in two three-meter-long internal weapon shafts behind the nose wheel

Torpedoes

• 4 × Alliant Techsystems Mk.46 light weight torpedo (diameter 324 mm)
• 4 × Honeywell Mk.50 "Barracuda" light weight torpedo (diameter 324 mm)

Unguided bombs

• 4 × Mk.36 DST "Destructor" (250 kg / 560 lb sea mine based on the Mk.82)
• 4 × BLU-111A / B (227 kg free-fall bomb, analogous to Mk.82 with thermal protective coating)
• 4 × Mk.54 (160 kg underwater sea ​​mine )
• 2 × B57 (20 kT nuclear depth charge )

Arming at external load stations

Ordnance up to 1361 kg at two external load stations under the two wings

Air-to-ground guided missiles

• 2 × Boeing AGM-84A / B / C "Harpoon" - radar-guided anti-ship missile
• 2 × Boeing AGM-84H / K "SLAM-ER" - tactical cruise missiles
• 2 × LAU-117A launching rail supports for 1 × Raytheon AGM-65E / F "Maverick" - laser or infrared controlled guided missiles against ships or tanks

Unguided air-to-surface missiles

• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) each with 3 × LAU-68D / A rocket tubular launch containers for 7 × unguided FFAR air-to-ground hydra rockets each ; Caliber 70 mm / 2.75 inch
• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) each with 3 × LAU-61 / A rocket tube launch containers for 19 × unguided FFAR air-to-ground missiles; Caliber 70 mm / 2.75 inch
• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) each with 3 × LAU-69 / A rocket tubular launch containers for 19 × unguided FFAR air-to-ground missiles each; Caliber 70 mm / 2.75 inch
• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) each with 3 × LAU-10D / A rocket tubular launchers for 4 × unguided Zuni air-to-ground rockets, caliber 127 mm / 5 inch

Unguided free-fall bombs

• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) with 3 × BLU-111A / B each (227 kg free-fall bomb, analogous to Mk.82 with thermal protective coating)
• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) each with 3 × CBU-100 / Mark 20 "Rockeye II" (222 kg / 490 lb anti-tank cluster bomb with 247 Mk.118 bomblets)
• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) with 3 × × Mk.52 Mod 6/53/55/56 each (454 kg underwater sea ​​mine with pressure acoustic and magneto ignition)
• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) with 3 × Mk.55 Mod 7 each (1,000 kg underwater sea mine with magneto)
• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) each with 3 × Mk.56 OA05 (1,000 kg underwater sea mine with magneto)
• 2 × BLU-110 / B (454 kg free-fall bomb , analogous to Mk.83)
• 2 × BLU-109 / B (907 kg free-fall bomb, analogous to Mk.84)
• 2 × Mk.77 Mod 5 (235 kg / 520 lb napalm firebomb)

Additional container

• 2 × SUU-44 / A flare tube launch containers for 8 × unguided Mk.45 flare flare rockets each (parachute braked, burn for 3.5 minutes with 2 million candelas)
• 2 × BRU-42 TER (Triple Ejection Rack) each with 3 × Brunswick Corporation ADM-141B "TALD" drones as decoys
• 2 × drop-off Aero-1D additional tanks for 1,136 liters (300 us gal.) Kerosene
• 2 × drop-off additional tanks for 2,271 liters (600 us gal.) Kerosene (only for tests of the KS-A / B tanker variant, which was never introduced)
• 1 × ARS D-704 Buddy air refueling container for air-to-air refueling with basket

Self defense

Active measures

• 2 × Tracor AN / ALE-39A decoys with 30 decoys each (36 mm or 147 mm width, e.g. RR-129 chaff cartridges or MJU-8 / B heat flares ). A decoy launcher is installed on both sides in the stern .

Passive action

• 2 × IBM AN / ALR-47 ESM nacelles with two radar warning sensors each

Trivia

A Viking was the first aircraft to be given the nickname Navy One when President George W. Bush landed in such an aircraft on May 1, 2003 on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) .

Web links

Commons : S-3 Viking  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• S-3 Viking at fas.org
• US Navy Fact File

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Beth Stevenson: US Navy retires its last S-3B Vikings. In: Flightglobal.com. January 15, 2016, accessed on January 15, 2016 (English): "The aircraft carrier-based Viking fleet was officially retired from frontline service in 2009, but three of the type remained operational in support roles with the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron ( VX) 30 at Point Mugu in California. " 
2. ↑ US Navy Retires Last Lockheed Martin S-3B Viking From Fleet Service; Carrier-Based Multi-Mission Aircraft Completes 35-Year Career ( Memento from June 2, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
3. ^ NASA - Military Aircraft to Perform Aviation Safety Research
4. ↑ S-3B Viking re-enters USN service in test range surveillance role
5. ^ S-3B Viking gets WW2 paint scheme for Naval Aviation Centennial
6. ^ US Navy & Marine Corps Air Power Directory, David Donald, 1992 Aerospace Publishing Ltd, p. 151
7. ↑ ^{a b} Mk 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57 Mines and Depth Bombs (United States) . In: Jane's Air-Launched Weapons . Retrieved July 23, 2012.
8. ^ Aero, Issue 46, 1984 Marshall Cavendish International Ltd