#2057
Lockheed S-3 Viking
🇺🇸 United States ·first flew 1972· carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft
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_on_21_January_1987_(330-CFD-DN-SC-87-06468).jpg)
7 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. S-3B Viking launched off the flight deck of the USS Theodore Roosevel: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Michael D. Cole· Public domain
- 2. Air Zoo December 2019 119 (Lockheed S-3 Viking): Michael Barera· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 3. Lockheed S-3A Viking 0017: Marcin Zieliński· CC BY 2.5
- 4. Lockheed US-3A Viking of VRC-50 is launched from USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on 21 January 1987 (330-CFD-DN-SC-87-06468): PH3 Charles R. Solseth, U.S. Navy photo 330-CFD-DN-SC-87-06468· Public domain
- 5. S-3 Viking PRNAM-2: Balon Greyjoy· CC0
- 6. S-3 Viking in-flight refueling: Photographer's Mate 3rd Class Christopher Stephens· Public domain
- 7. YS-3A Viking prototype: US Navy - CNO (OP-09D)· Public domain
what is it?
The Lockheed S-3 Viking is a four-crew, twin-engine turbofan-powered subsonic anti-submarine jet aircraft designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Corporation. Because of its characteristic sound, it was nicknamed the "War Hoover" after the vacuum cleaner brand. The S-3 was developed in response to the VSX program conducted by the U.S. Navy (USN) to procure a successor anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft to the Grumman S-2 Tracker.
How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 20.9 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 54 years ago, in 1972.
- Top speed is 6.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 20.9 m: about 5 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 4 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Range of 5,121 km: 28× Amsterdam to Brussels.
- Can fly 1.4× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1972-01-21
- introduced
- 1974
- retired
- 2009
- status
- retired
- number built
- 187
- role
- carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- California, Lockheed Corporation, Palmdale
- engines
- 2× General Electric TF34-GE-2 / General Electric CF34
- crew
- 4
- length
- 16.3 m
- wingspan
- 20.9 m
- height
- 6.9 m
- max take-off weight
- 23.8 t
- top speed
- 795 km/h
- cruise speed
- 648 km/h
- range
- 5,121 km
- ceiling
- 12,466 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q249890, Wikipedia: Lockheed S-3 Viking (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.