| Unit Name: | Air Development Squadron 3 |
| Dates: | 20 November 1948-1 March 1960 |
| Country: | United States |
| Branch: | United States Navy |
Air Development Squadron 3 or VX-3 was a United States Navy air test and evaluation squadron established on 20 November 1948 and disestablished on 1 March 1960.[1]
VX-3 was established by the merger of the assets of VA-1L and VF-1L and based at NAS Atlantic City, its aircraft carried the tail code "XC".[1] [2]
In late 1949 VX-3 received the F6U Pirate which it operated for a short period before sending them into storage at NAS Quonset Point.[3]
In March 1953 VX-3 began operational trials of probe and drogue aerial refueling using AJ-1 Savage bombers.[3]
In late 1954 VX-3 carrier-qualified the F9F-8 Cougar aboard the .[3]
In August 1955 VX-3 F9F-8s successfully tested the first mirror landing system aboard .[3]
VX-3 received the first F-8U-1 Crusaders in December 1956 and conducted carrier qualifications of the Crusader aboard the in April 1957. During testing of the Crusader two aircraft and pilots were lost. On 6 June 1957 a VX-3 Crusader set a US coast to coast speed record of three hours and twenty-eight minutes, launching from on the West Coast and landing on on the East Coast.[1]
Walter Starghill AT3