South Korea looking at STOVL aircraft carrier; S-3 Vikings

U.S. Navy S-3 Viking. (U.S. Navy Photo

South Korea is reported to have carried out a feasibility study to equip its navy with a small aircraft carrier capable of operating Short Take Off and Vertical Landing aircraft in the near future. It is also reported to have put a priority on purchasing ex-U.S. Navy S-3 Vikings retired in 2009.

Sounds like this is a good time to bring up my earlier look at the recent emergence of flat-tops in the Asia Pacific region.

PS. Another future operator of the F-35B in the making? Lockheed-Martin must have been licking its chops when this piece of news broke.

Bloodhounds Viking wears 1942 paint scheme

The US Naval Air Test and Evaluation Squadron VX-30 'Bloodhounds' has gone retro with one of its S-3 Vikings wearing a 1942 US Navy aircraft blue/sea grey paint scheme as part of the US Navy's Centenary of Naval Aviation celebrations. The US Navy has painted several of its aircraft in paint schemes of yesteryear as part of the centenary.