Was the S.3B the most underrated plane of the Gulf War?

[@jimpollard9392]

"The S-3B "somehow" also dropped the inflight refueling store..." ...I actually have a pretty good idea how this happened. I was an S-3A pilot in the early 80s. The armament control panel on the S-3, on the center console, was very much a rubik's cube type puzzle. Very very poor user interface. You had to turn certain rotary knobs, then lift up certain button guards, then push certain buttons in just a certain order, until certain lights in the buttons turned a certain color. It was very easy to configure "ripple fire" mode, where all stores would drop when the button on the stick was pushed, when you actually meant to configure single release mode, where one store would release per button click. Happened to me one night during a weapons training detachment over a bombing range in Nevada...I thought we had the ACP configured for single release mode, so that we could make six passes, dropping one Mk 83 per pass. Nope, we'd inadvertently configured ripple fire mode, so that all six bombs rattled off in sequence when I pushed the button. Clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk. My co-pilot and I did the Mcaulay Culkin home alone double take about a second before they all went off on impact. Really lit up the desert, that's for sure. But anyway, I reckon that's how they came to jettison the refueling store.

[@davidmiller571]

I always heard that they flew back around and hit it with it because it was all they had left. My dad was in VS31 at the time and I remember hearing this story several times at air shows growing up. Come to think of it my dad never really seemed to be into that story so who knows. He was an AW for 27 years and ended up retiring just after I got back from my first deployment.

[@collintatusko4155]

I accidentally dropped a few wrong things once out at ElCentro. That initial ACP panel was a human factors nightmare

[@envitech02]

Love how the wings and fin folded. Looks so cool!!

[@RedArrow73]

This airframe had INCREDIBLE potential. The roles it COULD HAVE fulfilled include COD, Dedicated IFR, EW, and Ground Attack. Too bad Congress wouldn't give the Navy the needed funds. Hell, CalFire coulda put these birds to work.

[@tri3852]

You're on a roll with these desert storm videos! Well done and keep it up! Would love to see a video on wild weasel phantoms.

[@IrisAviation91]

The F-4E/Gs in the Gulf are coming soon, they’ve even got a whole book! Thank you

[@Koomba27]

Great video, I love the S-3.

[@IrisAviation91]

Same, so underrated. Thanks!

[@yanktornado5121]

Good stuff as usual. Loved the shark mouth at the end

[@IrisAviation91]

That S-3 looks really nice with that shark mouth 😁Thanks

[@yerman6456]

Love your content and want to hear it, music should be in background not foreground as it is sometimes. Keep up the good work.

[@IrisAviation91]

Thank you, fair point that i’ll try to address in future videos

[@DouglasStewart-m8z]

A gentle bird on the flight deck and a joy to stroke around and easy peasey on the jet blast .America v-1 80-84

[@ScaleHangar182]

Great video!

[@IrisAviation91]

Thanks so much bro!

[@tonyrotzler63]

It was the most underrated Carrier Aircraft, period

[@johnsaylock5095]

I loved it when the s-3 landed on the kitty.. I got my parts and mail call came shortly there after. Definitely a workhorse aircraft.

[@curtreus6065]

- A good laugh ('bombing' the Iraqi boat with the IFR buddy-store) - reminded me of the toilet on the "Spad'; My Dad used to mention a USAAF WW2 8th AF saying - "We don't just bomb Germany, we cover them with our burning wreckage" ! - Loved the Might Hoover on the Boat Fly/ Fix Navy

[@tmobaile1187]

Thats nice 👌. Wish for more please

[@IrisAviation91]

Thank you very much

[@allgood6760]

Thanks for this 👍✈️

[@robertbarstad6424]

AMH PQS Collateral Inspector CVA64

[@MWKreib]

Proud to have been a Mighty Mauler!

[@markrixson7791]

One my favorite birds ~ VS-35 (97-'01)

[@robertbarstad6424]

VS37 USS Constellation

[@jbaviation4700]

Supurb, absolutely Supurb.

[@RedArrow73]

COULD USN / Lockheed have mounted LAU-7 rails on the fuselage sides in the manner of the A-7E Corsair II?

[@IrisAviation91]

I don't know the answer, but I doubt it. Fitting a pylon on the fuselage sides would potentially interfere with the engine. I think this is why they are placed quite close to the fuselage, allowing for more space on the outer pylons. I could be wrong though.

[@sevhondolero6993]

Would have made excellent Counter-Insurgency Night Hawk with Flir a Bomb Bay for (8) 250lb Guided munitions, 50Cal Mini-gun would ruin the opponents 20MM on Wing Pylons.

[@RobertBarstad]

NG USS Constellation 64

[@RobertBarstad]

Vs37 Cvs 64

[@HBTwoodworking]

VS-38 Red Griffins

[@MrDobberdude]

The S3 was never equipped with SLAM

[@collintatusko4155]

You saw that as well. s-3s didn’t have SLAM capability until the Maverick Plus program years later. Your video is wrong (I was the Operational Test Director for Mav +). Back in DS1, S-3Bs did have AGM-84D Harpoon capability for the anti-ship mission, but no land attack AGM capability.

[@Jarroda762]

Low Cheed. Lock heed

[@RobertBarstad]

sawbucks

[@stephencannon3140]

They were not four aviators….:four crewmen….eventually women….even though it had two pilot seats only one was a designated Naval Aviator. Two crew were Tactical Coordinators (TACCO). One was mission tactics and the other another TACCO but say next to pilot. Although not a designated aviator, they could provide second set of eyes, and be a “safety observer” I believe they had a set of controls but not sure how often the COTACS actually landed or got credit for it. Primary tactical coordinatior and sensor operator were back seats.

[@Tailhooker2024]

You missed what it was really made for.....ASW..IT carried a Enlisted Naval Aircrew. It was originally to track sub and sub surface contacts. Classifying and tracking was it's bread and butter. Too much effort was put into low levels time on the bombing range. It eventually lead to a mothballing of all the S 3s...the days is coming when a carrier will be smoked and some will ask...where is the S3...answer..in storage....

[@collintatusko4155]

Well my pilots and I were designated naval aviators…them as pilots and myself as a Naval Flight Officer who was trained as. TACCO/COTAC.

[@terrynewsome6698]

What Ukraine would not give to have some of these to hunt down Russias kilo subs.

[@jyy9624]

Dead akulas