S-3B Viking Multi-Role Carrier-Based Aircraft, USA

The United States Navy operates 113 Viking S-3B carrier-based aircraft in the anti-surface warfare role with secondary capability in land strike support and aerial refueling. The aircraft has all weather capability and is equipped for day and night surveillance, electronic warfare and for search and rescue missions. The S-3B is operational on US Navy Nimitz, Enterprise and Kitty Hawk carriers. The S-3B is being replaced by the F/A-18E/F and the US Navy began retiring the first two squadrons of Vikings in June 2004; 106 Vikings are to be retired by 2010.

The S-3A Viking, designed for anti-submarine warfare, entered service in 1975. Between 1987 and 1994, all US Navy S-3A aircraft were converted to S-3B with new mission and weapon systems for the anti-surface warfare and other roles. The S-3B has combat proven precision targeting and over the horizon precision targeting capability.

With the change in roles brought about by the end of the Cold War and the reduced submarine threat, the S-3 is undergoing a major avionics and weapon systems upgrade program and the crew is being reduced from four to three - pilot, copilot/tactical coordinator (COTAC) and tactical coordinator (TACCO).

In March 2003, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, an S-3B Viking aircraft from Sea Control Squadron (VS) 38, the "Red Griffins", became the first S-3B to attack an overland target with a laser-guided AGM-65E Maverick missile in combat. The aircraft was part of Carrier Wing 2 onboard USS Constellation.

In May 2003, an S-3B, designated "Navy One" for the occasion, transported President George Bush to visit the crew onboard USS Abraham Lincoln. It was the first time a US president had been in an aircraft making an "arrested" landing on a carrier.

FAIL-SAFE FUSELAGE DESIGN

The fuselage is all-metal fail-safe semi-monocoque design incorporating high strength features for carrier borne operations. Two parallel beams between the tail hook and the forward landing gear form the keelson structure which provides structural strength to withstand repeated loading of carrier catapult launches and arrester landings.

The all-metal fail-safe wings are folded upward and inward hydraulically for transfer and storage in the hangar deck.

The cockpit is fitted with frangible canopies allowing through-the-canopy crew ejection.

MAVERICK, EXTENDED RANGE SLAM/ER AND HARPOON MISSILES

During 2001 and 2002, the US Navy carried out a development testing program of the S-3B Maverick Plus System (MPS). MPS gives the S-3B the capability to carry the Raytheon AGM-65E laser-guided and AGM-65F infrared-guided Maverick missile, and to control Boeing AGM-84H/K SLAM/ER Stand Off Land Attack/Extended Range missiles.

Using the MPS, the S-3B Viking crew can control SLAM/ER missiles which have been launched from another aircraft in the post-launch phase. Terminal guidance control of the SLAM/ER Missile is through data link with the AN/AWW-13 Extended Range Data Link Pod. SLAM/ER is a day and night, all weather, over the horizon precision strike land attack cruise missile with a range of more than 278km.

The Viking S-3B can also deploy the Boeing AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile with an over the horizon range of more than 60nm.

The maximum weapons payload is 1,781kg and weapon options include missiles, torpedoes, rockets and bombs. The aircraft has split weapons bays with clamshell doors. Internally stored ordnance includes Mark 46/50 torpedoes, B57 nuclear depth charges, Mark 82 and Mark 36 bombs. Weapons that can be mounted externally under the wings include Mark 82, 83, 86 bombs, Mark 52,55,56, 62,65 mines, LAU-10C, -68A and 69A rocket pods, SUU-44A flare pods, Rockeye Mark 20 rockets and anti-ship and anti-surface missiles.

AVIONICS UPGRADES

To equip the S-3 for its new mission requirements, a number of upgrade programs for the avionics and mission systems have been undertaken.

Carrier Airborne Inertial Navigation Systems II (CAINS II) upgrade: this involved the removal of existing CAINS, attitude heading reference system (AHRS), doppler radar and analogue flight instruments. The systems are replaced by the Honeywell H-764G EGI embedded global positioning system/inertial navigation system and digital Electronic Flight Instruments (EFI). The upgrade was completed in late 2002.

Communications Control Group (CCG): Lockheed Martin was awarded the contract for the integration of communications and navigation systems, which was started in 1998 and is scheduled for completion in 2005. The aircraft also has provision for a JTIDS Joint Tactical Information Distribution System.

Computer systems: the Lockheed Martin (formerly Unisys) air data computer type AN/AYK-10A(V) is being replaced with the AN/AYK-23 digital Computer Processor Memory Unit (CPMU), to be completed by 2004. The AN/ASW-33 digital flight data computer is being upgraded, to be completed by 2004. The DRS Technologies AN/USH-42 mission recorder has replaced the RO457 video signal recorder. AN/USH-42 records the ISAR radar, FLIR and mission avionics data.

A Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) and low probability intercept altimeter for the S-3 are under development.

SONAR SENSORS

Sonar sensors, including Hazeltine AN/ARR-78 sonobuoy receiver, Precision Echo analogue tape recorder AN/AQH-7 and Cubic AN/ARS-4 sonobuoy reference system, were removed from 40 S-3B aircraft between 1999 and 2002.

The S-3B is equipped with the Raytheon AN/APS-137(V)1 radar, which incorporates an Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR) mode, and an OR-263/AA forward looking infrared system (FLIR).

COUNTERMEASURES

The electronic warfare suite includes an IBM AN/ALR-76 electronic support measures unit and a variant of the BAE Systems IDS (formerly Tracor) AN/ALE-39 chaff and flare dispenser.

ELECTRIC AND TURBOFAN ENGINES

Two General Electric TF-34-GE-400B engines are pylon mounted under the wings. The high bypass ratio turbofan engines are each rated at 41.25kN. The integral wing tanks have a usable fuel capacity of 7,192 liters. The aircraft can carry two jettisonable fuel tanks each with a capacity of 1,136 liters on the underwing pylons. A single point for pressure refueling is installed on the starboard side of the fuselage.

An illuminated in-flight refueling probe is installed in the top center line of the fuselage.