Grumman AF-3S Guardian
Grumman · United States · first flew 1945 · transport aircraft
The Grumman AF-3S Guardian was the 'hunter' aircraft of the US Navy's twin-aircraft anti-submarine warfare team, equipped with magnetic anomaly detection gear and sonobuoys to locate submerged submarines.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Carrier-based single piston engine, large fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Dedicated ASW hunter variant of the Guardian pair
- MAD boom and sonobuoys in the AF-3S
- Carrier-based single piston engine, large fuselage
A large, portly single-engine carrier aircraft with a deep fuselage accommodating extensive electronics, mid-set tapered wings with prominent folding joints, and a distinctive MAD boom extending from the tail in AF-3S examples.
Specifications
- The Grumman AF-3S Guardian has a length of 13.21 m (43 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 18.49 m (61 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 502 km/h (312 mph).
- Typical crew: 4.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The Guardian system paired the AF-2W (radar-equipped 'hunter') and AF-2S (weapons-equipped 'killer') aircraft; the AF-3S was a further development combining hunter sensors with some weapons capability. Introduced in the late 1940s, Guardians served throughout the Korean War period as the Navy's primary carrier-based ASW aircraft until replaced by the S-2 Tracker in the mid-1950s.
Variants
The Guardian family included the AF-2W (hunter), AF-2S (killer), and AF-3S (combined hunter-killer); all shared the same basic airframe derived from the XTB3F prototype.
Where you'll see it
Operated exclusively by the US Navy from carriers and shore bases, primarily in the Atlantic and Pacific; phased out by 1955 when the Grumman S-2 Tracker took over the ASW role.
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