At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union fielded a formidable navy—both above and below the surface.  In response, the United States Navy required a carrier-based, fixed-wing aircraft with long on-station time and an extensive air-to-surface and -subsurface avionics sweet and weapons capability.  The result was the twin-turbofan, high-wing Lockheed Martin S-3 Viking. On this episode, retired US Navy Commander David “Deke” Slayton joins us to discuss S-3 variants, which weapons it can carry, why it looks the way it does, and much more.  And turns out, Deke was an S-3 instructor when co-host Sunshine received his initial fleet training in the Viking—an aircraft he would fly before later transitioning to the F/A-18 Hornet. During the listener question segment, we dig a little deeper into the Mutha trophy, discuss the purpose of exchange programs, talk about the relevance of a gun on combat fighters, stereotypes for military pilots, the need to self-assess before flight, and brushes with death. Click here to check out Wings Over America and support scholarships for military dependents. To compliment the interview, click here to order Brad Elward’s authoritative book, S-3 Viking in Action. Bumper music by Jaime Lopez.