VFA-27
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Strike Fighter Squadron 27 (VFA-27), also known as the "Royal Maces", are a
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 ...
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 ...
fighter squadron stationed at
Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni is a United States Marine Corps air station located in the Nishiki river delta, southeast of Iwakuni Station in the city of Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. History The Japanese government bought a large portion of what is today MCAS I ...
. They are a part of Carrier Air Wing 5 and are attached to the
aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...
. Their tail code is NF.


Mission

The squadron conducts carrier-based air strike and strike force escort missions, anti-ship operations, battle group anti-air operations, and surveillance/intelligence collection operations in support of Carrier Air Wing 5 tasking and requirements. The squadron is permanently forward deployed with Carrier Air Wing 5, shore based at MCAS Iwakuni.


History


1960s

The squadron was commissioned Attack Squadron 27 (VA-27) on 1 September 1967 flying the
A-7 Corsair II The LTV A-7 Corsair II is an American carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV). The A-7 was developed during the early 1960s as replacement for the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Its design was ...
, and in January 1968, the squadron officially reported to
Carrier Air Wing 14 Carrier Air Wing Fourteen (CVW-14), was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. Mission To conduct carrier air warfare operations and assist in the planning, control, coordination and integr ...
. In May 1968, as the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
continued, they departed for their first combat deployment aboard . On 28 June 1968, the squadron flew its first combat sortie, striking targets in the panhandle region of North
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
. The squadron's insignia was approved by the
Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...
on 25 March 1968, and consisted of a light blue glove and black mace. They were nicknamed the ''Royal Maces''. During a second combat cruise aboard ''Constellation'' in August 1969, VA-27 flew over 2,500 combat sorties.


1970s

VA-27 transitioned to the newer A-7E on 20 June 1970. From 4 February to 7 March, VA-27 embarked on during the carrier's transit around Cape Horn to her new home port in
NAS 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 ...
, California, and then deployed on ''Enterprise'' from 11 June 1971 to 12 February 1972, the squadron made its third combat cruise. With the outbreak of the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 was a military confrontation between India and Pakistan that occurred during the Bangladesh Liberation War in East Pakistan from 3 December 1971 until the Pakistani capitulation in Dhaka on 16 Decem ...
in December 1971, ''Enterprise'' departed
Yankee Station Yankee Station (officially Point Yankee) was a fixed coordinate off the coast of Vietnam where U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and support ships operated in open waters over a nine-year period during the Vietnam War. The location was used primari ...
and made a quick transit 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 ...
to provide support for the evacuation of foreign civilians. Squadron pilots amassed over 4,400 combat flight hours and participated in over 1,500 air strikes over Indochina without loss. The squadron commenced their fourth combat deployment in September 1972 aboard ''Enterprise'', participating in Linebacker I 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 ...
operations, heavy air strikes against targets in North Vietnam to interdict the flow of supplies in that country and into South Vietnam. The squadron began its next deployment to the Western Pacific in September 1974. In April 1975, the squadron flew surveillance missions over Vietnam and flew escort for
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
and
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
helicopters during
Operation Frequent Wind Operation Frequent Wind was the final phase in the evacuation of American civilians and "at-risk" Vietnamese from Saigon, South Vietnam, before the takeover of the city by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) in the Fall of Saig ...
, the evacuation of American and Vietnamese personnel from Saigon


1980s

In April 1980, VA-27 participated in the Iranian hostage rescue attempt by providing air cover for the forces directly involved in the rescue operation. In August 1986, the squadron participated in the first carrier tactical flight operations in the
Bering Sea The Bering Sea (, ; rus, Бе́рингово мо́ре, r=Béringovo móre) is a marginal sea of the Northern Pacific Ocean. It forms, along with the Bering Strait, the divide between the two largest landmasses on Earth: Eurasia and The Ameri ...
since the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.


1990s

While stationed 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 the squadron transitioned to the
F/A-18A Hornet The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twinjet, twin-engine, supersonic aircraft, supersonic, carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a Fighter aircraft, ...
on 24 January 1991 and were officially re-designated Strike Fighter Squadron 27 (VFA-27). The squadron also changed roles as well as aircraft and were now a fighter/attack squadron, performing air-to-air as well as air-to-ground attack missions. The Squadron emblem was also changed to a green background, white cloud, and silver gauntlet with silver mace. In November 1992, while deployed aboard , VFA-27 operated 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
Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF) was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational force which operated in Somalia from 5 December 1992 until 4 May 1993. A United States initiative (code-named Operation Restore Hope), U ...
and augmented
United States Central Command The United States Central Command (USCENTCOM or CENTCOM) is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the U.S. Department of Defense. It was established in 1983, taking over the previous responsibilities of the Rapid Deployment Joint Tas ...
’s multi-national coalition Air Forces supporting
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 ...
. The squadron participated in a coalition night strike against Iraq on 13 January 1993, delivering over 18,000 pounds of ordnance on target. In 1994 VFA-27 deployed aboard USS ''Kitty Hawk'' to the Sea of Japan. In 1996 the squadron commenced their homeport change from NAS Lemoore to NAF Atsugi, Japan deploying aboard .


2000s

In the wake of the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, the squadron participated in
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 ...
flying missions against the
Al Qaida 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 countri ...
infrastructure and
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 ...
forces in
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 ...
as well as protecting assets in
Diego Garcia Diego Garcia is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, a disputed overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It is a militarised atoll just south of the equator in the central Indian Ocean, and the largest of the 60 small islands o ...
. When ''Kitty Hawk'' deployed to 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 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 ...
, VFA-27 was soon heavily involved in combat. As part of Carrier Air Wing 5, VFA-27 attacked command, control and communications sites, surface-to-surface missile batteries and an air traffic control radar near
Basrah Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...
. At the Al Faw peninsula long range artillery guns and 155mm
howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...
s near
Az Zubayr Az Zubayr ( ar, الزبير) is a city in and the capital of Al-Zubair District, part of the Basra Governorate of Iraq. The city is just south of Basra. The name can also refer to the old Emirate of Zubair. The name is also sometimes written Al ...
were targeted. The squadron flew hundreds of
close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...
and strike sorties against Iraqi forces. VFA-27 completed their transition to 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 ...
in October 2004 at NAS Lemoore. In February of 2013, the Royal Maces executed a trans-Pacific journey to accept new Lot 34 and 35 F/A-18E Super Hornets to maintain their superior technological abilities in the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet. In February of 2015, the squadron's tactical prowess was recognized by their being awarded the COMNAVAIRPAC Battle "E", highlighted by their "training and operational achievements" and the viral teaser of their full-length cruise video "Shoot 'em if you got 'em", which was received with wide acclaim, and has been sampled in several U.S. Navy recruiting advertisements as well as has been added to the National Archives as a piece of Naval Heritage having garnered over 3,000,000 views on Youtube.com since its initial publication as well as untold numbers of views across numerous ancillary internet sites, although the original video has since been made private.


External links and reference


VFA-27's Official Webpage

Royal Maces' Unofficial Page

Shoot em if you got em. the VFA-27 cruise video
*Tony Holmes (2005). ''US Navy Hornet Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom Part One'', Osprey Publishing Limited.


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 ...
*
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 ...


References

{{Reflist Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy