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For the first time in its thirty-year career, an S-3 Viking was used in overland strikes. Moreover, its crew fired a laser-guided missile in combat for the first time during an Operation Iraqi Freedom strike against what was described as “three significant Iraqi naval targets” near Basra on 25 March. The S-3B crew, along with two F/A-18 pilots, received short-order tasking for a time-sensitive strike prior to engaging the targets. All three of the aircraft were assigned to the USS Constellation (CV-64). One Hornet pilot independently identified and destroyed two naval targets. The second Hornet assisted the S-3 crew with the third target by designating the target with its laser. The Viking crew, assigned to VS-38, destroyed its target with an AGM-65E Maverick air-to-surface missile. |
