Navy is represented in our ward room right
n o w.”
In recent years VX-30 has been a part of
and supported a large range of programmes.
Examples include the rst ight test of the
Harpoon Block II+ anti-ship missile, testing of
ship systems and weapons, F-35 Lightning
II weapons testing and operational testing
and live- re of the Joint Standoff Weapon
(JSOW). Other work has included F-22 Raptor
radar evaluation ights, complex missile
engagements against Harpoon and other aerial
targets, missile ring exercises with Carrier AirWing Seven, USS John C Stennis and Ronald
Reagan aircraft carriers and a plethora of other
weapon and aircraft tests on the Sea Range.
These test events are only possible with the
full support of the Bloodhounds and its eet of
aircraft, which currently consist of some of the
oldest aircraft in the Navy including variations
of the P-3 Orion, C-130 Hercules and until
recently the S-3B Viking.VIKINGS
For more than 35 years the S-3 Viking,
affectionately known as the ‘Hoover’ becauseof the distinctive vacuum-like sounding
engines, performed a range of missions for
the Navy including anti-submarine warfare,
anti-surface warfare, carrier onboard delivery,
electronic surveillance, airborne tanking and
over-the-horizon targeting. When the S-3
was tagged for retirement from the eet in
2009 the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons
Division and speci cally VX-30 saw the
opportunity to use the type. They wanted
its sophisticated APS-137 inverse synthetic
aperture imaging radar to improve VX-30’s
crucial sea and air range surveillance and
clearance capabilities. The S-3 was also
useful for test activities due to its excellent
endurance, speed and room for multiple
types of avionics, pods and test equipment.
The Bloodhounds’ three S-3s were
formerly with Sea Control Squadron VS-22.
Before arriving at VX-30 they were sent to theNavy’s Fleet Readiness Center Southeast
in Jacksonville, Florida for an extensive
maintenance and repair programme which
would allow another ve to six years of
service life.
Cdr Hanaki said: “It tted the mission
perfectly here for VX-30. One of the
main missions of our squadron is range
surveillance and clearance of the sea test
range. There is a lot of square mileage to
cover and the endurance of the S-3 coupled
with the APS-137 radar, a very capable
system, as well as the small crew all played
into it being a very attractive platform for
the mission out here. For example, with a
P-3 we have to have a crew of at least ve
to do the same mission that we could do
with two people, maybe three, in the Viking.”
He added: “When the option was there to
continue operating the S-3 here at VX-30, just
from a manning perspective it was attractive
to the command. The airplane still also had
a lot of life in it in 2009 so once the Navy
decided to retire the aircraft from eet service
there were a lot of interested people at
NAWCWD looking at what we could do with
the S-3. Back when Captain Rosseau [former
Commander of VX-30 and Commodore of
Point Mugu] was here, as a career S-3 pilot,
he was one of the instrumental officers who22 Aviation News incorporating Classic Aircraft May 2016Above: The squadron uses the KC-130T for various missions, including range support, cargo
airlift to and from the Navy facilities on San Nicholas and San Clemente Islands, and more
recently, sonobuoy drops.
Below: The unit’s NP-3C, which has the rotodome from an E-2C Hawkeye. Ashley WallaceAn MQ-8C Fire Scout hovering on the ramp prior to heading out to the Sea Range for a test ight.
Typically, the aircraft will hover for about ve minutes while the operators on the ground review
data streaming back from the helicopter to make sure everything is okay to continue the ight.20-27_vx30DC.mf.indd 22 06/04/2016 17:01