In 1974 the Lockheed S-3 Viking entered service with the USN as a twin-engine jet aircraft used for enemy submarine warfare. By the late 1990’s the role shifted to surface warfare providing the carrier battle group with long-range surveillance capabilities and aerial refueling. The S-3 was in production from 1974 until 1978 with 186 (187) aircraft completed. Most airframes saw upgrades to the S-3B and sixteen became ES-3A “Shadow” electronic intelligence collection aircraft. The low-pitched sound of the engines earned the S-3 the nickname “Hoover” after the vacuum cleaner.

S-3 159765/Modex 705/AB was accepted by the USN on October 31, 1975 and was assigned to VS-31 “TopCats” on November 4, 1975. It wasn’t until 1982 and a few reassignments before 159765 reached VS-32 “Maulers”. In 1988 the aircraft was upgraded to an S-3B configuration and once again reassigned to VS-37 “Grim Dogs”. Once again 159765 was assigned to VS-32 between 1990 and 1993. In February 1991 during Operation Desert Storm, 159765 destroyed an Iraqi patrol boat using three 500-pound Mk-82 bombs as well as inadvertently dropped a refueling pod.

• Crew: 4 / 1 x Pilot, 1 x Co-Pilot, 1 x TACCO, 1 x Sensor Operator (TFO)
• Number of Aircraft: 91 new built, converted aircraft 43 A-5A and the first 6 A-5B = 140
• Engines: 2 x General Electric TF34-GE-2 turbofans producing 9,275 lb (41.26 kN) of thrust per engine
  
• Fuel Capacity (JP-5)
• Internal – 1,933 US gal (7,320 L)
• External – 2 x 300 US gal (1,136 L) tanks
• Maximum speed
• @ Sea Level - 493 mph (795 km/h)
• @ 20,000 ft (6,100 m) - 514 mph (828 km/h)
• Cruise: 405 mph (650 km/h)
• Range: 2,050 miles (3,300 km)
• Ferry: 3,875 miles (6,237 km)
• Service Ceiling: 40,900 ft (12,465 m)
• Rate of Climb: 5,120 ft/min (26 m/sec)
• Length: 53 ft 4 in (16.26 m)
  
• Wingspan
• Unfolded – 68 ft 8 in (20.93 m)
• Folded – 29 ft 6 in (9.00 m)
• Height – 22 ft 9 in (6.93 m)
• Weights
• Empty: 26,581 lb (12,057 kg)
• Loaded: 38,193 lb (17,324 kg)
• Maximum Take-off: 52,539 lb (23,831 kg)
• Armament
• 4 x internal and 2 external Hardpoints capable of carrying an assortment of ordnance weighing a maximum of 4,900 lb (2,220 kg)
• Assortment of Ordnance
• 10 x 500 lb (227 kg) Mark 82 bombs
• 2 x 1,000 lb 454 kg) Mark 83 bombs
• 2 x 2,000 lb (908 kg) Mark 84 bombs
• 6 x CBU-100 cluster bombs
• 2 x Mark 50 torpedoes
• 4 x Mark 46 torpedoes
• 6 x mines or depth charges
• 2 x B57 nuclear bombs
• 2 x AGM-65E/F Maverick missiles
• 2 x AGM-84 Harpoon missiles
• 1 x AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER missile
• The 2 under-wing hardpoints can hold unguided missile pods or the 300 US gal fuel tanks.
• Avionics
• AN/APS-116 sea search radar, maximum range 173 miles (278 km)
• S-3B upgraded to AN/APS-137 Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar (ISAR)
• OR-89 FLIR camera with 3 X zoom
• AN/ARS-2 sonobuoy receiver with 13 blade antennae on the airframe for precise buoy location
• Up to 60 sonobuoys (59 tactical, 1 Search and Rescue (SAR)
• AN/ASQ-81 magnetic anomaly detector (MAD)
• AN/ASN-92 INS with Doppler radar navigation and TACAN
• Dimensions: 29.1 x 22.6 x 9.6 cm