Lockheed S-3A Viking 159391 United States Bicentennial

These are 1/72 scale decals for the Lockheed S-3A Viking, BuNo 159391, operated by VS-29 (Sea Control Squadron Twenty-Nine) aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) — depicted in the striking United States Bicentennial commemorative markings applied for the nation's 200th anniversary celebrations in 1976.

The S-3A Viking was the U.S. Navy's carrier-based anti-submarine warfare aircraft of the Cold War era, designed to hunt Soviet submarines from the deck of a carrier strike group. Powered by two turbofan engines and packed with advanced sensors — including a forward-looking infrared system, magnetic anomaly detector, and an extensive sonobuoy suite — the Viking gave carrier air wings a long-range, all-weather ASW capability that had previously required land-based patrol aircraft. Crews affectionately nicknamed it the "Hoover" for the distinctive sound of its engines.

VS-29, the "Dragonfires," was a Pacific Fleet sea control squadron based at NAS North Island, California, flying the S-3 Viking as part of carrier air wing deployments aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) — the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and one of the most storied ships in U.S. Navy history. In 1976, VS-29 participated in the U.S. Bicentennial celebrations by applying special commemorative markings to BuNo 159391 — colorful, patriotic schemes that stand in vivid contrast to the tactical low-visibility markings that would follow in later years.

A colorful and historically significant subject that captures a unique moment in U.S. naval aviation history. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.