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Strike Fighter Squadron 86 (VFA-86) is a
strike fighter In current military parlance, a strike fighter is a multirole combat aircraft designed to operate both as an attack aircraft and as an air superiority fighter. As a category, it is distinct from fighter-bombers. It is closely related to the c ...
squadron of the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
based at
Naval Air Station Lemoore Naval Air Station Lemoore or NAS Lemoore is a United States Navy base, located in Kings County and Fresno County, California, United States. Lemoore Station, a census-designated place, is located inside the base's borders. NAS Lemoore is the Na ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The squadron is nicknamed ''Sidewinders'', leading to the call sign ''Winder''. The unit currently flies the
F/A-18E Super Hornet The Boeing F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet are twin-engine, carrier-capable, multirole fighter aircraft variants based on the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. The F/A-18E single-seat and F/A-18F tandem-seat variants are larger and more adv ...
and is assigned to
Carrier Air Wing Seven Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. At the moment, CVW-7 is assigned to the USS George H. W. Bush. The tail code of aircraft assigned to CVW-7 is AG. Mis ...
, tail code ''AG''.


History


1950s

Reserve Fighter Squadron 921 (VF-921) was called to active duty from NAS St. Louis on 1 February 1951, for the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
flying the F4U-4 Corsair. VF-921 was assigned to
Carrier Air Group Eight Carrier may refer to: Entertainment * ''Carrier'' (album), a 2013 album by The Dodos * ''Carrier'' (board game), a South Pacific World War II board game * ''Carrier'' (TV series), a ten-part documentary miniseries that aired on PBS in April 20 ...
and deployed to the Mediterranean Sea aboard , in 1951–52. On 4 February 1953, the squadron was redesignated Fighter Squadron 84 (VF-84), while deployed to
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay Guantanamo Bay Naval Base ( es, Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo as jargon by members of the U.S. military) is a United States military base ...
, Cuba aboard . In June 1953, the squadron briefly flew the F8F-2 Bearcat in preparation for transition to the F9F-5 Panther in November 1953. The squadron's current "Sidewinder" name and insignia were adopted in April 1954. Flying the Panther, VF-84 was again deployed to the Mediterranean Sea aboard from September 1954 to April 1955. On 1 July 1955, the squadron began flying the F7U-3M Cutlass, was redesignated Attack Squadron 86 (VA-86), and conducted extensive evaluation of the AIM-7 Sparrow missile. VA-86 was deployed with the F7U only for the shakedown cruise of , being assigned to Air Task Group 181. From May 1957 until 1967, the squadron was assigned to
Carrier Air Wing Seven Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. At the moment, CVW-7 is assigned to the USS George H. W. Bush. The tail code of aircraft assigned to CVW-7 is AG. Mis ...
, being equipped with various marks of the A4D/A-4 Skyhawk. Between September 1958 and March 1959, VA-86 was deployed aboard , before CVW-7 was reassigned to the recently commissioned .


1960s

In April 1961, VA-86 operated from USS ''Independence'' near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during the
Bay of Pigs Invasion The Bay of Pigs Invasion (, sometimes called ''Invasión de Playa Girón'' or ''Batalla de Playa Girón'' after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in 1961 by Cuban exiles, covertly fina ...
. In November 1962, the squadron was assigned to
Carrier Air Wing Three Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3), known as the "Battle Axe", is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The wing was created on 1 July 1938 and has seen service in World War II, the Korean War, th ...
and embarked in during the
Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...
operating off the coast of Jacksonville, Florida. VA-86 was flying a mix of A-4Bs and A-4Cs, as the squadron was transitioning to the A-4C. In April–May 1963, VA-86 provided A-4C detachments aboard Atlantic Fleet anti-submarine carriers , and . The aircraft were equipped with
AIM-9 Sidewinder The AIM-9 Sidewinder (where "AIM" stands for "Air Intercept Missile") is a short-range air-to-air missile which entered service with the US Navy in 1956 and subsequently was adopted by the US Air Force in 1964. Since then the Sidewinder has prov ...
missiles to provide the carriers with anti-air warfare capability. From August 1963 to March 1964, VA-86 was again deployed with CVW-7 aboard USS ''Independence'' to the Mediterranean Sea. Following this deployment, the squadron transitioned to the A-4E. On 1 July 1965, the squadron conducted its first combat missions, flying from ''Independence'' against targets in
South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of th ...
. In 1966–67, VA-86 was back in the Mediterranean Sea aboard ''Independence''. On 1 June 1967, VA-86 became the Navy's first operational Atlantic Fleet squadron to fly the A-7A Corsair II. VA-86 was reassigned to
Carrier Air Wing Six Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing whose operational history spans from the middle of World War II to the end of the Cold War. Established in 1943 as Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), it would be ...
and made another deployment to Vietnam aboard . The squadron conducted its third South East Asia combat deployment aboard from September 1969 to July 1970 while being assigned to
Carrier Air Wing Fifteen Carrier Air Wing Fifteen (CVW-15) is a former United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing that was decommissioned on March 31, 1995. It was previously known as Carrier Air Group Fifteen (CVG-15) before 1963 before being renamed in December of th ...
. In October 1970, VA-86 transitioned to the E model of the A-7.


1970s

From 1971 to 1987, VA-86 was again assigned to CVW-8. In late spring of 1972, VA-86 was forced to transition to the A-7C due to unexpected problems with the A-7E's TF-41 engines. The squadron then deployed from June 1972 to March 1973 aboard USS ''America'' for a ten-month combat cruise, participating in several intense and lengthy bombing campaigns, including
Operation Linebacker Operation Linebacker was the codename of a U.S. Seventh Air Force and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 air interdiction campaign conducted against North Vietnam from 9 May to 23 October 1972, during the Vietnam War. Its purpose was to halt or slow the ...
and
Linebacker II Operation Linebacker II was an aerial bombing campaign conducted by U.S. Seventh Air Force, Strategic Air Command and U.S. Navy Task Force 77 against targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) during the final period of ...
in late-1972. The squadron remained on station until the
Paris Peace Accords The Paris Peace Accords, () officially titled the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam (''Hiệp định về chấm dứt chiến tranh, lập lại hòa bình ở Việt Nam''), was a peace treaty signed on January 27, 1 ...
were signed in late January 1973. This was the squadron's fourth combat deployment to Southeast Asia, more than any other East Coast attack squadron and resulted in the receipt of the
Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or s ...
. The squadron deployed aboard USS ''America'' in 1974 for 7 months duty in the Mediterranean and the North Sea. In 1975, the squadron transitioned to the A-7E and went aboard for the ship's maiden voyage and made further deployments during the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1979, VA-86 planes appeared in the movie '' The Final Countdown'', which was filmed aboard USS ''Nimitz'' at
Naval Air Station Key West Naval Air Station Key West , is a naval air station and military airport located on Boca Chica Key, four miles (6 km) east of the central business district of Key West, Florida, United States., effective 2007-10-25 NAS Key West is an air ...
, Florida.


1980s

In January 1980, after the seizure of the American Embassy in
Tehran, Iran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is th ...
VA-86 departed
Naples, Italy Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
embarked on ''Nimitz'', en route to the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
via the
Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...
, beginning of 144 consecutive days at sea. In 1981, while aboard ''Nimitz'', the squadron participated in a Freedom of Navigation Exercise in the
Gulf of Sidra The Gulf of Sidra ( ar, خليج السدرة, Khalij as-Sidra, also known as the Gulf of Sirte ( ar, خليج سرت, Khalij Surt, is a body of water in the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Libya, named after the oil port of Sidra or ...
. During this tense period, VA-86 flew
Aerial refuelling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...
and reconnaissance missions over potentially hostile Libyan ships. The squadron awarded the 1982 COMNAVAIRLANT Battle "E", as the best East Coast A-7 squadron. In June- July 1985, while aboard USS ''Nimitz'', VA-86 operated off the coast of Lebanon due to the hijacking of
TWA flight 847 Trans World Airlines Flight 847 was a flight from Cairo to San Diego with en route stops in Athens, Rome, Boston, and Los Angeles. On the morning of June 14, 1985, Flight 847 was hijacked shortly after take off from Athens. The hijackers demande ...
, and later that year the squadron was awarded the Wade McClusky Award, signifying the most outstanding attack squadron in the Navy. From January–February 1987, while embarked on USS ''Nimitz'', VA-86 operated off the coast of Lebanon after three U.S. citizens were taken hostage from the American University in
Beirut, Lebanon Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint of ...
. On July 15, 1987, VA-86 was officially redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 86 (VFA-86), and began flying the
F/A-18C Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now p ...
. VA-86 was the first East Coast squadron to receive the C model (Lot 10) of the F/A-18. From 1988 to 2007, VFA-86 was assigned to
Carrier Air Wing One Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, with most of its various squadrons also home based at NAS Oceana. Additional squadrons are based at Naval Station Norfolk ...
. In 1989, during a six-month deployment aboard ''America'', VFA-86 provided air cover for the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.


1990s

In 1991, the squadron flew combat missions in support of
Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
from USS ''America'' operating in both the
Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
and the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
. In 1992, the squadron accomplished the first East Coast F/A-18 Standoff Land Attack Missile shoot to a target on
San Nicolas Island San Nicolas Island (Spanish: ''Isla de San Nicolás''; Tongva: ''Haraasnga'') is the most remote of the Channel Islands, off of Southern California, 61 miles (98 km) from the nearest point on the mainland coast. It is part of Ventura Coun ...
, California. In 1994, the squadron deployed aboard ''America'' in support of
Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mis ...
. In October, USS ''America'' was ordered to the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
off the coast of
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
in support of United Nations relief efforts. After conducting
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
Operation Deliberate Force Operation Deliberate Force was a sustained air campaign conducted by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in concert with the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) ground operations, to undermine the military capability of the ...
missions over
Bosnia-Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...
from the
Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to t ...
, they returned to NAS Cecil Field in February 1995. The squadron received the CNO's Safety "S" Award for 1995. On 3 October 1997, the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean Sea/Persian Gulf aboard . The squadron remained on station in the Gulf through mid-March 1998 during the crisis involving Iraq's non-compliance with UN sanctions, flying
Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...
contingency missions. VFA-86 was awarded the 1997 Battle E recognizing it as the best East Coast F/A-18 Hornet squadron. From 2 November 1998 to 17 December 1998, VFA-86 made a short cruise to the Puerto Rican Operating Area aboard . On 22 September 1999 the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean Sea/Arabian aboard , participating in Freedom of Navigation Operations off the coast of Libya. Following the decommissioning of NAS Cecil Field in 1999 due to BRAC action, VFA-86 was one of two U.S. Navy strike fighter squadrons that relocated to
MCAS Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort or MCAS Beaufort is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) air base located northwest of the central business district of Beaufort, a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. About 4,700 personnel s ...
,
South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...
in lieu of
NAS Oceana Naval Air Station (NAS) Oceana or NAS Oceana is a United States Navy Naval Air Station located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Nowadays, the station is located on 23.9 km2. It has total of 250 aircraft deployed and buildings valued at $800 mill ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
. The other Navy squadron at MCAS Beaufort,
VFA-82 VFA-82, Strike Fighter Squadron 82, known as the ''Marauders'' was a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron formerly based at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, established in 1967 and deactivated in 2005. Its radio callsign was ''Streetcar''. History Atta ...
, was deactivated in 2005.
VFA-82 VFA-82, Strike Fighter Squadron 82, known as the ''Marauders'' was a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron formerly based at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina, established in 1967 and deactivated in 2005. Its radio callsign was ''Streetcar''. History Atta ...


2000s

On 19 September 2001, the squadron deployed aboard , in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 at ...
(OEF) over
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
against
Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
and
Al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...
military targets. When they departed the area on 2 March 2002, the squadron had flown over 3500 hours and expended over 213 tons of ordnance and were at sea for 160 continuous days. From August 2003 to July 2004, VFA-86 deployed in in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
(OIF) and OEF. From May to November 2006, the squadron was again deployed on the USS ''Enterprise'' in support of OIF and OEF, visiting ports in Croatia, Crete, Dubai, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and Portugal. In July 2007, VFA-86 deployed for a last time aboard 'USS 'Enterprise'' in support of OIF and OEF, returning MCAS Beaufort in December 2007. The squadron earned the 2007 Commander Naval Air Forces U.S. Atlantic Fleet Safety "S." Between 31 July 2009 and 26 March 2010, VFA-86 deployed aboard USS ''Nimitz'' to the Western Pacific and the North Arabian Sea, being assigned to
Carrier Air Wing Eleven Carrier Air Wing Eleven (CVW-11) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier .Carrier Air Wing Two Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW-2) is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier . Subordinate units CVW-2 consists of 9 Squadrons History 1940s-50s Origi ...
aboard .


References


External links


Official website of VFA-86


See also

*
Naval aviation Naval aviation is the application of military air power by navies, whether from warships that embark aircraft, or land bases. Naval aviation is typically projected to a position nearer the target by way of an aircraft carrier. Carrier-based a ...
*
Modern US Navy carrier air operations Modern United States Navy aircraft carrier air operations include the operation of fixed-wing and rotary aircraft on and around an aircraft carrier for performance of combat or noncombat missions. The flight operations are highly evolved, bas ...
*
List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons This is a list of active United States Navy aircraft squadrons. ''Deactivated'' or ''disestablished'' squadrons are listed in the List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons. Navy aircraft squadron (aviation), squadrons are composed of ...
*
List of Inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons There are hundreds of US Navy aircraft squadrons which are not currently active dating back to before World War II (the U.S. Navy operated aircraft prior to World War I, but it did not organize them in squadrons until after that war). To be mo ...
{{United States Navy Aircraft Squadrons Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy