VAQ-34, callsign ''Flashbacks'', was a Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron of the

U.S. 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 o ...

. It was established on 1 March 1983 at the

Pacific Missile Test Center Pacific Missile Test Center (PMTC) is the former name of the current Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division. The name of the center was the Naval Air Missile Test Center prior to PMTC. It is located at Naval Base Ventura County/Naval Air Sta ...

Point Mugu, California Point Mugu (, Chumash: ''Muwu'') is a cape or promontory within Point Mugu State Park on the Pacific Coast in Ventura County, near the city of Port Hueneme and the city of Oxnard. The name is believed to be derived from the Chumash Indian te ...

, under the Fleet Electronic Warfare Support Group. The squadron was formed to provide realistic training for ship crews to counter Soviet electronic and cruise-missile threats, and was modeled after its East Coast counterpart,

VAQ-33 VAQ-33, nicknamed the ''Firebirds'', was a Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron of the U.S. Navy, serving for 44 years (1949-1993) under various designations and with a constantly-evolving group of aircraft. It was designated VAQ-33 in 1968, at ...

. The squadron's activities included support of major fleet exercises, including training in antiair warfare,

electronic countermeasures An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting info ...

and

electronic counter-counter-measures Electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) is a part of electronic warfare which includes a variety of practices which attempt to reduce or eliminate the effect of electronic countermeasures (ECM) on electronic sensors aboard vehicles, ships and ai ...

, electronic surveillance, electronic emissions control, and training in the face of simulated missile attacks. Establishing the squadron required the reclamation of aircraft and other equipment from various untraditional sources. A team from

Naval Air Station Alameda Naval Air Station Alameda (NAS Alameda) was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay. NAS Alameda had two runways: 13–31 measuring and 07-25 measuring . Two helicopter pads and a control tower were ...

retrieved four RA-3B ''Skywarriors'' from the

aircraft boneyard An aircraft boneyard or aircraft graveyard is a storage area for aircraft that are retired from service. Most aircraft at boneyards are either kept for storage with some maintenance or have their parts removed for reuse or resale and are then s ...

at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, then did the work to make them acceptable for squadron use. They later converted them to ERA-3Bs to give the squadron the most realistic hostile electronic training possible. Another ''Skywarrior'', this one in better condition, went more directly from the boneyard to the newly-forming squadron. It allowed aircrew and maintenance training to begin while waiting for the ERA-3Bs to be delivered, not to mention serving as an airborne tanker. Six TA-7C Corsair IIs were also transferred to VAQ-34 from other assets in the fleet. They were later converted to EA-7Ls. In 1991, the ERA-3B and EA-7L aircraft were retired or transferred, and the squadron soon acquired eight

F/A-18A 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 part ...

strike fighters fitted with missile simulators, threat detectors, jamming equipment, and

chaff Chaff (; ) is the dry, scaly protective casing of the seeds of cereal grains or similar fine, dry, scaly plant material (such as scaly parts of flowers or finely chopped straw). Chaff is indigestible by humans, but livestock can eat it. In agri ...

dispensers. When Rosemary Bryant Mariner assumed command in 1990, VAQ-34 became the first U.S. Military aviation squadron to be commanded by a woman. In June 1991 it moved to

NAS 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. In 1993 the Navy transferred the electronic aggressor role to the Navy Reserve, leading to VAQ-34's disestablishment on 5 October 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaq-34 Electronic attack squadrons of the United States Navy

See also

References