Officially Licensed US Navy VS-29 Dragonfires legacy squadron patch.
From S-2 Trackers to S-3 Vikings — Dragonfires legacy, never forgotten.
Sea Control Squadron 29 (VS-29), the "Dragonfires," was a U.S. Navy carrier-based ASW/sea control squadron based at NAS North Island, California — and one of the most respected names in the West Coast S-3 Viking community. The squadron was commissioned as VS-29 "Tromboneers" on April 1, 1960 at NAS North Island flying the S-2 Tracker, redesignated as the "Screw Birds" before settling on the "Dragonfires" call sign that carried it through three decades of carrier deployments. VS-29 transitioned from the S-2 Tracker to the Lockheed S-3A Viking in 1976, becoming part of the airborne ASW backbone of the Pacific Fleet's carrier air wings throughout the late Cold War — hunting Soviet submarines from the flight decks of the Kitty Hawk, Constellation, Nimitz, and John C. Stennis. After the S-3B upgrade, the Dragonfires deployed for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom, expanding their mission from sea control into surface warfare, tanking, electronic warfare, and overland strike support. VS-29 was disestablished on March 26, 2004 as the Navy began winding down the S-3 community, but the Dragonfires name remains one of the most fiercely defended legacy patches in the Viking community. This is the legacy version — for every Dragonfire who flew, fixed, or fought from a Viking.
Perfect For: VS-29 Dragonfires plankowners and veterans, S-3 Viking and S-2 Tracker pilots, NFOs, and aircrew, NAS North Island heritage collectors, Pacific Fleet carrier ASW community members, S-3 Hoover legacy enthusiasts, and naval aviation history collectors.
VS-29 Dragonfires — S-3 Vikings on the prowl, 1960–2004.