VF-301
Encyclopedia
VF-301 Fighter Squadron 301 was an aviation unit of the United States Naval Reserve in service from 1970 to 1994. The squadron's nickname was Devil's Disciples.
The squadron first flew the Vought F-8L Crusader
and four years later transitioned to the McDonnell F-4B Phantom II
. Their time with the B-models was short and VF-301 soon received the F-4N in February 1975. In 1980, VF-301 received the most advanced F-4 variant in the U.S. Navy, the F-4S. In October 1984 the unit transitioned to the Grumman F-14A Tomcat
. The squadron made its first deployment with the F-14A on 21 April 1985, with five aircraft visiting MCAS Yuma for air-to-air training against U.S. Marine Corps IAI F-21A Kfir fighters. At this time the squadron was still transitioning to the F-14 and it was not until 4 August the same year the entire squadron was able to deploy to NAS Fallon for training.
The Devil's Disciples first carrier landings were on board the . Further carrier training was limited but did include time on board the between 10 and 22 August 1988. Later in its life the squadron became the first Reserve squadron to drop air-to-ground ordnance, in the shape of Mk 84 bombs and Mk 20 cluster munitions.
After 24 years of service VF-301 was disestablished on 11 September 1994, the same time as VF-302
. The rest of the reserve air wing, CVWR-30, was soon to follow. During these 24 years VF-301 had acquired an outstanding safety record, flying 71322.4 hours without a class A mishap, setting a new record for Navy jet squadrons.
History
VF-301 was activated on 1 October 1970 and assigned to Reserve Carrier Air Wing 30 (CVWR-30) (tail code "ND") at Naval Air Station Miramar, California (USA).The squadron first flew the Vought F-8L Crusader
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...
and four years later transitioned to the McDonnell F-4B 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,...
. Their time with the B-models was short and VF-301 soon received the F-4N in February 1975. In 1980, VF-301 received the most advanced F-4 variant in the U.S. Navy, the F-4S. In October 1984 the unit transitioned to the Grumman F-14A Tomcat
F-14 Tomcat
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft. The Tomcat was developed for the United States Navy's Naval Fighter Experimental program following the collapse of the F-111B project...
. The squadron made its first deployment with the F-14A on 21 April 1985, with five aircraft visiting MCAS Yuma for air-to-air training against U.S. Marine Corps IAI F-21A Kfir fighters. At this time the squadron was still transitioning to the F-14 and it was not until 4 August the same year the entire squadron was able to deploy to NAS Fallon for training.
The Devil's Disciples first carrier landings were on board the . Further carrier training was limited but did include time on board the between 10 and 22 August 1988. Later in its life the squadron became the first Reserve squadron to drop air-to-ground ordnance, in the shape of Mk 84 bombs and Mk 20 cluster munitions.
After 24 years of service VF-301 was disestablished on 11 September 1994, the same time as VF-302
VF-302
Fighter Squadron 302 was an aviation unit of the United States Naval Reserve in service from 1971 to 1994. The squadron's nickname was Stallions.-History:...
. The rest of the reserve air wing, CVWR-30, was soon to follow. During these 24 years VF-301 had acquired an outstanding safety record, flying 71322.4 hours without a class A mishap, setting a new record for Navy jet squadrons.
See also
- History of the United States NavyHistory of the United States NavyThe history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that was also notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy", the result of a modernization effort that began in the...
- List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
- List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons