VFA-154
Encyclopedia
Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154), also known as "City Dump" throughout the Vietnam War, is a United States Navy
strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore
. The "Dumpers" petitioned to have their call sign changed in the late 1970s to the Black Knights, and were granted the change. They are an operational fleet squadron flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet. They are currently attached to Carrier Air Wing Fourteen
and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier . Their radio callsign is "Knight"
in New York
flying the F6F Hellcat
as a Naval Reserve
squadron. Soon they transitioned to the F4U Corsair
. The unit went through several designation changes as well, becoming VF-68A then VF-837.
When the unit was called VF-837 the squadron moved to NAS Moffett Field
in California
. VF-837 flew a combat cruise in the Korean War
of the . By this time they were flying the F9F-2 Panther. VF-837 returned from their first cruise and started working up for a second cruise. On February 4, 1953 while passing under the Golden Gate Bridge
on board the and on their way back to Korea
, VF-837 became VF-154. VF-154 dropped 470 tons of bombs and expended 1,500 000 rounds of ammunition in Korea and on June 15, 1953 VF-154 flew 48 sorties on a single day, setting a record for a Navy squadron. By now the squadron had transitioned to the F9F-5 Panther. During this period until fall of 1957, the VF-154 insignia was a flaming black panther on a yellow background. In the late 50's VF-154 – still home based at NAS Moffett Field – was flying North American Aircraft's "Mach-buster", the FJ-3 "Fury."
In 1957 VF-154 transitioned to the Navy's first operational supersonic carrier aircraft, the F-8 Crusader
. In recognition of the new era and aircraft, VF-154 changed its insignia. Because of the new 1,000 mph fighters, the squadron was designated “The Grand Slammers” and a new insignia was designed by squadron pilot, John "Crash" Miottel with the final version drawn by the famous cartoonist Milton Caniff
, creator of the Terry and the Pirates
and Steve Canyon
. The new insignia was a silver Crusader knight on a black field with 2 F-8 divisions (4 plane formations) crossing in the background. Suffice it to say that the combination of supersonic aircraft and modified WW2 small deck, "27-Charley" carriers such as – VF-154's assigned carrier – was not easy on aircraft or pilots – VF-154 lost a full squadron of aircraft (14) and 20% of its pilots in the process.
Because of the patch design, and the arrival of new Crusaders configured for night operations, the squadron unofficially became known as the "Black Knights." That designation was added to the insignia and the name and insignia remain as VF-154 symbols to this day. (see the Black Knight insignia on this page and Crash’s link below for more VF-154 and Crusader history.)
Aside from the normal hazards, the next time VF-154 went into harm's way was the Vietnam War
.
The first deployment was in 1965 on board the , part of Carrier Air Wing 15. Their first combat strikes occurred on February 7 and their combat cruise lasted until November the same year. After that yearly combat cruises followed and VF-154 soon transitioned to the F-4 Phantom II
and became part of Carrier Air Wing 2, where it remained until 1980. After a second cruise with the Coral Sea, the Black Knights shifted carrier to the and completing five more cruises to South East Asia.
During 1968-69, 1969-70, & 1970-71 WestPac cruises aboard USS Ranger CVA-61, VF-154 was equipped with the F-4J Phantom II which used the Westinghouse AWG-10 RADAR system. Beginning with their 16 November 1972 deployment onboard USS Ranger, VF-154 participated in some of the last US Navy strikes of the war, they undertook the squadrons final Vietnam cruise, and they were awarded the Clifton Award - recognizing them as the best fighter squadron in the United States Navy.
In 1979 the unit transitioned to the F-4S, the last Navy version of the aircraft, but returned to the F-4N in January 1981. Several cruises with the USS Coral Sea followed, as the carrier did not have strong enough decks to carry the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. During this time VF-154 spent 120 days at sea of the coast of Iran during the Iranian hostage crisis until the hostages were formally released into United States custody just minutes after the new American president Ronald Reagan
was sworn in. Thus VF-154, and sister squadron VF-21
, were among the last units to convert to the F-14A. VF-154 finally transitioned to the F-14A in October 1983. Due to their late equipment the squadron received TARPS capable F-14s from the start. The first cruise with the F-14 was in 1985 on board the as part of Carrier Air Wing 14. Several further cruises on board “Connie” followed, with one taking place in 1987, during this cruise they operated in the Persian Gulf
, intercepting Iran
ian P-3
s and conducting movements in the Gulf of Oman
, at the so called “Gonzo” station.
After the cruises with Constellation, CVW-15 moved to the with this carrier, VF-154 and VF-21 became the first F-14 squadrons to arrive in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Desert Shield, although they never took part in Operation Desert Storm and Independence returned to the US before the war started.
In August 1991, the USS Independence become home based at Yokosuka, Japan
, to replace the USS Midway. VF-154 stayed with the carrier for this, but moved from CVW-14 to Carrier Air Wing 5 and from NAS Miramar to NAF Atsugi, thus becoming the first forward deployed F-14 squadron. At the same time as joining CVW-5 VF-154 became the first F-14 squadron to deploy with an air-to- ground bombing capability. Along with the , Independence and her air wing were involved in operations to demonstrate US resolve in support of Taiwan
. The 1995 Chinese military exercises once raised tension in the region and signalled China's opposition to Taiwan’s Presidential Election.
With the cut back on F-14 squadrons VF-154 sister squadron, VF-21, was disestablished, leaving the Black Knights as the only F-14 squadron in CVW-5. As well as keeping their TARPS role VF-154 have become very active in the air-to-ground role. Regular deployments aboard the Independence have continued. VF-154 conducted carrier qualifications on board the boat during November 1996.
The Black Knights arrived in Fremantle
, Australia
, on April 11, 1997, having just completed participation in the exercise 'Tandem Thrust'. With VF-154's F-14A's severely showing their age the squadron swapped six of its worst airframes for six from VF-213, which had visited on board the , a few weeks earlier. The Black Knights finally received LANTIRN
upgrades to their F-14A's in the last quarter of 1997 and January 1998. Although relatively late in the upgrade cycle, VF-154 was able to benefit - their F-14A's being the first in the Fleet to receive the new AN/ALR-67 Radar Warning Receiver.
World tensions soon meant VF-154 was called to action, on January 5, 1998 CVW-5 was called to action due to trouble in the Persian Gulf. USS Independence arrived to the area on February 4. VF-154 was leading the first CVW-5 flight package into southern Iraq
within 24 hours. Although the tension eased the carrier and air wing remained on station until the end of May. Several missions were flown each day as part of Operation Southern Watch
. With their new LANTIRN pods VF-154 were able to provide high quality video of potential targets day or night.
Sea duty called again in July, as CVW-5 made their last cruise on board USS Independence. After a cross Pacific transit to Pearl Harbor
the air wing cross decked to their new home - USS Kitty Hawk. During the transfer, Kitty Hawk picked up the famous 'Don't Tread On Me' Jack - signifying her as the oldest ship on active service. Once again the shore period was short, on August 30 the air wing and carrier departed once more. Training began with a VF-154 organised MISSILEX - the F-14's shooting 4 AIM-54's and downing 4 targets. The cruise continued with Foal Eagle
exercises in the seas around Korea
. By the time the Black Knights pulled back into port during November they had spent 240 days at sea.
The commitment of the Black Knights was recognised soon after - the squadron gaining numerous awards, most notably the Pacific Fleet Battle 'E', Safety 'S' and 'Boola-Boola' missile awards. Later in 1999 VF-154 would add the Clifton award to that batch. Preparations for deployment soon started, in January jets deployed to Guam
for SFARP training. A few weeks later they received their first Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) equipped jets. On the March 2, VF-154 sailed on board USS Kitty Hawk for their first full WESTPAC deployment. During the four months of cruise the Black Knights took part in Tandem Thurst '99, an unexpected Persian Gulf period (due to being called to cover events in Kosovo
), plus port visits to Hong Kong
, Thailand
and Singapore
. The cruise also saw a new first - two Naval Aviators reaching 1000 traps on the same day. Captain. R. McHarg, Commander, Air Group of CVW-5 landed on board in a specially painted VF-154 F-14A. His pilot for the historic trap was Lieutenant
. D. Baxter. Later the same day the Commanding Officer
of VFA-27
, Commander
. K. Hutcheson, made his landing in a F/A-18. Both landings took place in the Persian Gulf, where Kitty Hawk and CVW-5 completed 5,426 sorties, including 1,356 combat missions over Southern Iraq.
Between 1999 and 2002, VF-154 would participate in five deployments in the Pacific as well as the Indian Ocean
. In 2001, CVW-5 flew more than 600 missions and 100 combat sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2003, VF-154 would make their last cruise with the F-14, this time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This would be the first time CVW-5 would deploy to the Persian Gulf since 1999. The USS Kitty Hawk arrived on station on February 26 and CVW-5 was chosen to be the dedicated Close Air Support
wing. VF-154 deployed with 12 F-14A’s and detached five F-14As and five air crews to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar
where these F-14’s and its crews would work closely with Royal Air Force
Panavia Tornado
’s, USAF F-15E’s, F-16CGs and F-16CJ’s and Royal Australian Air Force
F/A-18As. CENTCOM had contacted CVW-5 and specifically asked for the air wing to deploy Forward Air Controller capable Tomcats and crews to support coalition land-based aircraft as well as Special Forces
squads operating inside Iraq. The F-14s were usually paired with the aircraft already deployed to the airbase, dropping bomb themselves or guiding other aircraft bombs. The aircrews would fly daily missions and in one 48 hour period the Black Knights detachment flew 14 sorties totalling 100 hours of flight time. The crews at Al Udeid flew more than 300 combat hours and delivered 50 000 pounds of ordnance, (98 GBU-12s) during the 21 day stay at the airbase.
On April 1, 2003, VF-154 lost one of their aircraft over southern Iraq due to that it suffered a single engine and fuel transfer system failure which caused the remaining engine to run dry. The crew, already two hours into their mission and having dropped some bombs,the pilot and RIO ejected and the crew was soon picked up by an HH-60G helicopter. This F-14A was the first coalition aircraft to crash in Iraq since the start of Iraqi Freedom.
The remaining F-14s on the USS Kitty Hawk made a valuable contribution to the war effort, compromising mostly of junior officers and expended 246 GBU-12s, ten GBU-16s and four GBU-10s during 27 days of combat. By the end of the war, VF-154 had dropped 358 laser guided bombs, buddy lased 65 more and passed target coordinates for 32 JDAM’s during the course of 286 sorties. The Black Knights had expended more ordnance than any other unit in CVW-5, despite flying the oldest jets in the air wing.
In September 2003 the Black Knights left Atsugi for the last time and ended their proud 13 years in Japan and 20 years in the Tomcat. A month later, VF-154 was redesignated VFA-154 at their new home at NAS Lemoore, California
, and began transitioning to the Navy's newest strike fighter, the F/A-18F Super Hornet. They completed their first Super Hornet cruise in the summer of 2005 aboard the , part of Carrier Air Wing 9 supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. On April 6, 2005, VFA-154 and VFA-147
dropped two 500-pound laser-guided bombs on enemy insurgent location east of Baghdad.
As Carl Vinson entered its overhaul cycle, CVW-9 and VFA-154 deployed to the . VFA-154 and CVW-9 embarked on a new deployment to the Persian Gulf in the spring of 2007 supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and a joint-military exercise off Guam called Valiant Shield.
VFA-154 and CVW-9 deployed with USS John C. Stennis on a scheduled Western Pacific deployment on January 13, 2009. VFA-154 and CVW-9 returned to the United States on July 6 after participating in exercises with Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and annual exercises as Foal Eagle
with the Republic of Korea and joint exercise Northern Edge 2009. However,they are spotted on USS John C. Stennis in the movie 'Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen'.
In October 2009 VFA-154 transitioned to the new F/A-18F Block II Lot 30/31A AN/APG-79 AESA radar Rhino. In 2010 the squadron re-location from Carrier Air Wing Nine to Carrier Air Wing Fourteen
aboard the and departed on their 2011 deployment on February 2nd. In March 154 found itself in the familiar waters of Northern Japan supporting the Tsunami relief efforts of Operation Tomodachi. The squadron flew reconnaissance flights identifying groups of survivors later to be rescued by CVW-9 Helicopters. The late Spring and Summer of 2011 took the Black Knights to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively; as well as counter-piracy efforts throughout the Indian Ocean. The cruise was the final for CVW-14, bringing the Black Knights to CVW-11 aboard the in 2012.
.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore
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. Lemoore Station, California, a census-designated place, is located inside the base's borders....
. The "Dumpers" petitioned to have their call sign changed in the late 1970s to the Black Knights, and were granted the change. They are an operational fleet squadron flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet. They are currently attached to Carrier Air Wing Fourteen
Carrier Air Wing Fourteen
Carrier Air Wing Fourteen , 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 USS Ronald Reagan.-Mission:...
and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier . Their radio callsign is "Knight"
Late 1940s to the 1980s
VFA-154 began its career as VFB-718 on July 1, 1946 based at NAS New YorkFloyd Bennett Field
Floyd Bennett Field is New York City's first municipal airport. While no longer used as an operational commercial, military or general aviation airfield, the New York Police Department still flies its helicopters from its heliport base there...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
flying the F6F Hellcat
F6F Hellcat
The Grumman F6F Hellcat was a carrier-based fighter aircraft developed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat in United States Navy service. Although the F6F resembled the Wildcat, it was a completely new design powered by a 2,000 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800. Some tagged it as the "Wildcat's big...
as a Naval Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
squadron. Soon they transitioned to the F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
. The unit went through several designation changes as well, becoming VF-68A then VF-837.
Moffett Federal Airfield
Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale, California, USA. The airport is near the south end of San Francisco Bay, northwest of San Jose. Formerly a United States Navy facility, the former...
in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. VF-837 flew a combat cruise in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
of the . By this time they were flying the F9F-2 Panther. VF-837 returned from their first cruise and started working up for a second cruise. On February 4, 1953 while passing under the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
on board the and on their way back to Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, VF-837 became VF-154. VF-154 dropped 470 tons of bombs and expended 1,500 000 rounds of ammunition in Korea and on June 15, 1953 VF-154 flew 48 sorties on a single day, setting a record for a Navy squadron. By now the squadron had transitioned to the F9F-5 Panther. During this period until fall of 1957, the VF-154 insignia was a flaming black panther on a yellow background. In the late 50's VF-154 – still home based at NAS Moffett Field – was flying North American Aircraft's "Mach-buster", the FJ-3 "Fury."
F-8 Crusader
The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based air superiority jet aircraft built by Vought for the United States Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps, replacing the Vought F7U Cutlass...
. In recognition of the new era and aircraft, VF-154 changed its insignia. Because of the new 1,000 mph fighters, the squadron was designated “The Grand Slammers” and a new insignia was designed by squadron pilot, John "Crash" Miottel with the final version drawn by the famous cartoonist Milton Caniff
Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist famous for the Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon comic strips.-Biography:...
, creator of the Terry and the Pirates
Terry and the Pirates (comic strip)
Terry and the Pirates was an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, had admired Caniff’s work on the children's adventure strip Dickie Dare and hired him to create the new adventure strip,...
and Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon
Steve Canyon was a long-running American adventure comic strip by writer-artist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, Terry and the Pirates, Steve Canyon ran from January 13, 1947 until June 4, 1988, shortly after Caniff's death...
. The new insignia was a silver Crusader knight on a black field with 2 F-8 divisions (4 plane formations) crossing in the background. Suffice it to say that the combination of supersonic aircraft and modified WW2 small deck, "27-Charley" carriers such as – VF-154's assigned carrier – was not easy on aircraft or pilots – VF-154 lost a full squadron of aircraft (14) and 20% of its pilots in the process.
Because of the patch design, and the arrival of new Crusaders configured for night operations, the squadron unofficially became known as the "Black Knights." That designation was added to the insignia and the name and insignia remain as VF-154 symbols to this day. (see the Black Knight insignia on this page and Crash’s link below for more VF-154 and Crusader history.)
Aside from the normal hazards, the next time VF-154 went into harm's way was the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
The first deployment was in 1965 on board the , part of Carrier Air Wing 15. Their first combat strikes occurred on February 7 and their combat cruise lasted until November the same year. After that yearly combat cruises followed and VF-154 soon transitioned to the F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
and became part of Carrier Air Wing 2, where it remained until 1980. After a second cruise with the Coral Sea, the Black Knights shifted carrier to the and completing five more cruises to South East Asia.
In 1979 the unit transitioned to the F-4S, the last Navy version of the aircraft, but returned to the F-4N in January 1981. Several cruises with the USS Coral Sea followed, as the carrier did not have strong enough decks to carry the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. During this time VF-154 spent 120 days at sea of the coast of Iran during the Iranian hostage crisis until the hostages were formally released into United States custody just minutes after the new American president Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
was sworn in. Thus VF-154, and sister squadron VF-21
VF-21
Fighter Squadron 21 Freelancers was an aviation unit of the United States Navy originally established in 1944 as VF-81. It was disestablished in 1996.-History:...
, were among the last units to convert to the F-14A. VF-154 finally transitioned to the F-14A in October 1983. Due to their late equipment the squadron received TARPS capable F-14s from the start. The first cruise with the F-14 was in 1985 on board the as part of Carrier Air Wing 14. Several further cruises on board “Connie” followed, with one taking place in 1987, during this cruise they operated in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
, intercepting Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian P-3
P-3 Orion
The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engine turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. The aircraft is easily recognizable by its distinctive tail stinger or...
s and conducting movements in the Gulf of Oman
Gulf of Oman
The Gulf of Oman or Sea of Oman is a strait that connects the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, which then runs to the Persian Gulf. It is generally included as a branch of the Persian Gulf, not as an arm of the Arabian Sea. On the north coast is Pakistan and Iran...
, at the so called “Gonzo” station.
1990s
In August 1991, the USS Independence become home based at Yokosuka, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, to replace the USS Midway. VF-154 stayed with the carrier for this, but moved from CVW-14 to Carrier Air Wing 5 and from NAS Miramar to NAF Atsugi, thus becoming the first forward deployed F-14 squadron. At the same time as joining CVW-5 VF-154 became the first F-14 squadron to deploy with an air-to- ground bombing capability. Along with the , Independence and her air wing were involved in operations to demonstrate US resolve in support of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. The 1995 Chinese military exercises once raised tension in the region and signalled China's opposition to Taiwan’s Presidential Election.
With the cut back on F-14 squadrons VF-154 sister squadron, VF-21, was disestablished, leaving the Black Knights as the only F-14 squadron in CVW-5. As well as keeping their TARPS role VF-154 have become very active in the air-to-ground role. Regular deployments aboard the Independence have continued. VF-154 conducted carrier qualifications on board the boat during November 1996.
The Black Knights arrived in Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, on April 11, 1997, having just completed participation in the exercise 'Tandem Thrust'. With VF-154's F-14A's severely showing their age the squadron swapped six of its worst airframes for six from VF-213, which had visited on board the , a few weeks earlier. The Black Knights finally received LANTIRN
LANTIRN
Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night, or LANTIRN, is a combined navigation and targeting pod system for use on the USAF's premier fighter aircraft — the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon...
upgrades to their F-14A's in the last quarter of 1997 and January 1998. Although relatively late in the upgrade cycle, VF-154 was able to benefit - their F-14A's being the first in the Fleet to receive the new AN/ALR-67 Radar Warning Receiver.
World tensions soon meant VF-154 was called to action, on January 5, 1998 CVW-5 was called to action due to trouble in the Persian Gulf. USS Independence arrived to the area on February 4. VF-154 was leading the first CVW-5 flight package into southern Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
within 24 hours. Although the tension eased the carrier and air wing remained on station until the end of May. Several missions were flown each day as part of Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch
Operation Southern Watch was an operation conducted by Joint Task Force Southwest Asia with the mission of monitoring and controlling airspace south of the 32nd Parallel in Iraq, following the 1991 Gulf War until the 2003 invasion of Iraq.-Summary:Operation Southern Watch began on 27 August 1992...
. With their new LANTIRN pods VF-154 were able to provide high quality video of potential targets day or night.
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
the air wing cross decked to their new home - USS Kitty Hawk. During the transfer, Kitty Hawk picked up the famous 'Don't Tread On Me' Jack - signifying her as the oldest ship on active service. Once again the shore period was short, on August 30 the air wing and carrier departed once more. Training began with a VF-154 organised MISSILEX - the F-14's shooting 4 AIM-54's and downing 4 targets. The cruise continued with Foal Eagle
Foal Eagle
Foal Eagle is an annual combined Field Training Exercise conducted between the Republic of Korea and United States armed forces under the auspices of Combined Forces Command within the Korean Theater of Operations . It is one of the largest military exercises conducted annually in the world...
exercises in the seas around Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. By the time the Black Knights pulled back into port during November they had spent 240 days at sea.
The commitment of the Black Knights was recognised soon after - the squadron gaining numerous awards, most notably the Pacific Fleet Battle 'E', Safety 'S' and 'Boola-Boola' missile awards. Later in 1999 VF-154 would add the Clifton award to that batch. Preparations for deployment soon started, in January jets deployed to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
for SFARP training. A few weeks later they received their first Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) equipped jets. On the March 2, VF-154 sailed on board USS Kitty Hawk for their first full WESTPAC deployment. During the four months of cruise the Black Knights took part in Tandem Thurst '99, an unexpected Persian Gulf period (due to being called to cover events in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
), plus port visits to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The cruise also saw a new first - two Naval Aviators reaching 1000 traps on the same day. Captain. R. McHarg, Commander, Air Group of CVW-5 landed on board in a specially painted VF-154 F-14A. His pilot for the historic trap was Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. D. Baxter. Later the same day the Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of VFA-27
VFA-27
Strike Fighter Squadron 27 , also known as the "Royal Maces", are a United States Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Facility Atsugi. They are a part of Carrier Air Wing 5 and are attached to the USS George Washington...
, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
. K. Hutcheson, made his landing in a F/A-18. Both landings took place in the Persian Gulf, where Kitty Hawk and CVW-5 completed 5,426 sorties, including 1,356 combat missions over Southern Iraq.
2000's
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. In 2001, CVW-5 flew more than 600 missions and 100 combat sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2003, VF-154 would make their last cruise with the F-14, this time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This would be the first time CVW-5 would deploy to the Persian Gulf since 1999. The USS Kitty Hawk arrived on station on February 26 and CVW-5 was chosen to be the dedicated Close Air Support
Close air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
wing. VF-154 deployed with 12 F-14A’s and detached five F-14As and five air crews to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
where these F-14’s and its crews would work closely with Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
Panavia Tornado
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
’s, USAF F-15E’s, F-16CGs and F-16CJ’s and Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
F/A-18As. CENTCOM had contacted CVW-5 and specifically asked for the air wing to deploy Forward Air Controller capable Tomcats and crews to support coalition land-based aircraft as well as Special Forces
Special forces
Special forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
squads operating inside Iraq. The F-14s were usually paired with the aircraft already deployed to the airbase, dropping bomb themselves or guiding other aircraft bombs. The aircrews would fly daily missions and in one 48 hour period the Black Knights detachment flew 14 sorties totalling 100 hours of flight time. The crews at Al Udeid flew more than 300 combat hours and delivered 50 000 pounds of ordnance, (98 GBU-12s) during the 21 day stay at the airbase.
On April 1, 2003, VF-154 lost one of their aircraft over southern Iraq due to that it suffered a single engine and fuel transfer system failure which caused the remaining engine to run dry. The crew, already two hours into their mission and having dropped some bombs,the pilot and RIO ejected and the crew was soon picked up by an HH-60G helicopter. This F-14A was the first coalition aircraft to crash in Iraq since the start of Iraqi Freedom.
The remaining F-14s on the USS Kitty Hawk made a valuable contribution to the war effort, compromising mostly of junior officers and expended 246 GBU-12s, ten GBU-16s and four GBU-10s during 27 days of combat. By the end of the war, VF-154 had dropped 358 laser guided bombs, buddy lased 65 more and passed target coordinates for 32 JDAM’s during the course of 286 sorties. The Black Knights had expended more ordnance than any other unit in CVW-5, despite flying the oldest jets in the air wing.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and began transitioning to the Navy's newest strike fighter, the F/A-18F Super Hornet. They completed their first Super Hornet cruise in the summer of 2005 aboard the , part of Carrier Air Wing 9 supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. On April 6, 2005, VFA-154 and VFA-147
VFA-147
Strike Fighter Squadron 147 , also known as the "Argonauts", is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore California. VFA-147 flies the F/A-18E Super Hornet as part of Carrier Air Wing Fourteen...
dropped two 500-pound laser-guided bombs on enemy insurgent location east of Baghdad.
As Carl Vinson entered its overhaul cycle, CVW-9 and VFA-154 deployed to the . VFA-154 and CVW-9 embarked on a new deployment to the Persian Gulf in the spring of 2007 supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and a joint-military exercise off Guam called Valiant Shield.
VFA-154 and CVW-9 deployed with USS John C. Stennis on a scheduled Western Pacific deployment on January 13, 2009. VFA-154 and CVW-9 returned to the United States on July 6 after participating in exercises with Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and annual exercises as Foal Eagle
Foal Eagle
Foal Eagle is an annual combined Field Training Exercise conducted between the Republic of Korea and United States armed forces under the auspices of Combined Forces Command within the Korean Theater of Operations . It is one of the largest military exercises conducted annually in the world...
with the Republic of Korea and joint exercise Northern Edge 2009. However,they are spotted on USS John C. Stennis in the movie 'Transformers:Revenge of the Fallen'.
In October 2009 VFA-154 transitioned to the new F/A-18F Block II Lot 30/31A AN/APG-79 AESA radar Rhino. In 2010 the squadron re-location from Carrier Air Wing Nine to Carrier Air Wing Fourteen
Carrier Air Wing Fourteen
Carrier Air Wing Fourteen , 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 USS Ronald Reagan.-Mission:...
aboard the and departed on their 2011 deployment on February 2nd. In March 154 found itself in the familiar waters of Northern Japan supporting the Tsunami relief efforts of Operation Tomodachi. The squadron flew reconnaissance flights identifying groups of survivors later to be rescued by CVW-9 Helicopters. The late Spring and Summer of 2011 took the Black Knights to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively; as well as counter-piracy efforts throughout the Indian Ocean. The cruise was the final for CVW-14, bringing the Black Knights to CVW-11 aboard the in 2012.
.
See also
- VMFA-314VMFA-314Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. The squadron, known as the "Black Knights", is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 11 and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing...
US Marine Corp Fighter attack squadron of the same namesake - VMM-264 US Marine Corp Medium helicopter squadron of the same namesake
- RSAF Black KnightsRSAF Black KnightsThe Black Knights is the official aerobatics team of the Republic of Singapore Air Force featuring six F-16C Fighting Falcons in formation flight...
- The official aerobatic display team of the Republic of Singapore Air ForceRepublic of Singapore Air ForceThe Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command...
of the same namesake.