VFA-22
Encyclopedia
VFA-22, Strike Fighter Squadron 22, also known as the "Fighting Redcocks", are a United States Navy
F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore
. Their tail code is AA and their radio callsign alternates between "Beef" and "Beef Eater".
Strike Fighter Squadron 22 was originally commissioned as Fighter Squadron 63 at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia
in 1948, the squadron was re-designated as Attack Squadron 22 in July 1959 after the decommissioning of VF-22 in 1958. The first Redcock aviators flew the F8F Bearcat
. Later, Redcocks flew the F4U Corsair
, F9F Panther
, F9F Cougar
, FJ-4 Fury, A-4 Skyhawk
, A-7 Corsair II
, and the FA-18C Hornet. Today, the 220 enlisted men and women and 40 officers of VFA-22 are based in NAS Lemoore, California
, and has completed the transition from the F/A-18E to the F/A-18F Super Hornet
.
Over the years, the squadron completed three combat deployments during the Korean War
and six combat deployments during the Vietnam War
.
, VA-22 aircraft participated in sinking the Iranian Frigate Sahand
which fired missiles at two American A-6 Intruder
s.
to the Persian Gulf and participated in Operation Southern Watch
, enforcing the United Nations
Southern no-fly zone
sanctions over Iraq
. Before returning home from deployment, the squadron diverted to the coast of Somalia
and provided air support during Operation Continue Hope.
In December 1998, VFA-22 led the only Carrier Air Wing 11 air strike of Operation Desert Fox
.
to perform strikes against Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan
in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . In 2003, VFA-22 deployed with Carrier Air Wing 9 on board the "Carl Vinson" on an extended eight month Western Pacific
deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism
. In July, 2004, VFA-22 transitioned to F/A-18 E Super Hornets, and in January, 2006, deployed with Carrier Air Wing 14 on board the USS Ronald Reagan for six months in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
In early 2007, VFA-22, made a surge deployment with Carrier Air Wing 14 and USS Ronald Reagan to the Pacific Ocean with a mixed unit of F/A-18E and F/A-18F as the unit was in the middle of transitioning to the two seater. By the end of 2007, VFA-22 had transitioned to the F/A-18F Super Hornet.
On 18 May 2008, the carrier and its strike group departed Naval Air Station North Island
for a scheduled deployment to an undisclosed location.
On May 28, 2009, VFA-22 and Carrier Air Wing 14 deployed with USS RONALD REAGAN(CVN-76) on a deployment to the 7th and 5th Fleet Areas of Responsibility.
to Carrier Air Wing Seventeen
sporting the CVW-17 "AA" tailcode, and are now attached to the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).
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...
F/A-18F Super Hornet 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....
. Their tail code is AA and their radio callsign alternates between "Beef" and "Beef Eater".
History
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in 1948, the squadron was re-designated as Attack Squadron 22 in July 1959 after the decommissioning of VF-22 in 1958. The first Redcock aviators flew the F8F Bearcat
F8F Bearcat
The Grumman F8F Bearcat was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy and other air forces, and would be the company's final piston engined fighter aircraft...
. Later, Redcocks flew 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...
, F9F Panther
F9F Panther
|-Popular culture:The Panther played a prominent role in the 1954 movie Men of the Fighting Lady . The F9F was featured in the flying sequences in the 1954 movie The Bridges at Toko-Ri, although in the 1953 James A...
, F9F Cougar
F9F Cougar
The Grumman F9F/F-9 Cougar was an aircraft carrier-based fighter aircraft for the United States Navy. Based on the earlier Grumman F9F Panther, the Cougar replaced the Panther's straight wing with a more modern swept wing...
, FJ-4 Fury, A-4 Skyhawk
A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a carrier-capable ground-attack aircraft designed for the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. The delta winged, single-engined Skyhawk was designed and produced by Douglas Aircraft Company, and later McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated the A4D...
, A-7 Corsair II
A-7 Corsair II
The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
, and the FA-18C Hornet. Today, the 220 enlisted men and women and 40 officers of VFA-22 are based in NAS Lemoore, 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...
, and has completed the transition from the F/A-18E to the F/A-18F Super Hornet
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a twin-engine carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft. The F/A-18E single-seat variant and F/A-18F tandem-seat variant are larger and more advanced derivatives of the F/A-18C and D Hornet. The Super Hornet has an internal 20 mm gun and can carry air-to-air...
.
Over the years, the squadron completed three combat deployments during 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...
and six combat deployments during 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...
.
1980s
In April 1988, while in the Persian GulfPersian 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...
, VA-22 aircraft participated in sinking the Iranian Frigate Sahand
Operation Praying Mantis
Operation Praying Mantis was an attack on April 18, 1988, by U.S. naval forces within Iranian territorial waters in retaliation for the Iranian mining of the Persian Gulf during the Iran Iraq war and the subsequent damage to an American warship....
which fired missiles at two American A-6 Intruder
A-6 Intruder
The Grumman A-6 Intruder was an American, twin jet-engine, mid-wing attack aircraft built by Grumman Aerospace. In service with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps between 1963 and 1997, the Intruder was designed as an all-weather medium attack aircraft to replace the piston-engined A-1 Skyraider...
s.
1990s
In 1993, the Fighting Redcocks deployed aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)
USS Abraham Lincoln , is the fifth Nimitz-class supercarrier in the United States Navy. She is the second Navy ship named after former president Abraham Lincoln. Her home port is Everett, Washington.-Construction:...
to the Persian Gulf and participated in 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...
, enforcing the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Southern no-fly zone
Iraqi no-fly zones
The Iraqi no-fly zones were a set of two separate no-fly zones , and were proclaimed by the United States, United Kingdom and France after the Gulf War of 1991 to protect the Kurdish people in northern Iraq and Shiite Muslims in the south. Iraqi aircraft were forbidden from flying inside the zones...
sanctions over 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....
. Before returning home from deployment, the squadron diverted to the coast of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and provided air support during Operation Continue Hope.
Operation Desert Fox
The December 1998 bombing of Iraq was a major four-day bombing campaign on Iraqi targets from December 16–19, 1998 by the United States and United Kingdom...
.
2000s
In October 2001, VFA-22 was the first on the scene with USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
The USS Carl Vinson is the third United States Navy Nimitz class supercarrier and is named after Carl Vinson, a Congressman from Georgia. Carl Vinson's callsign is "Gold Eagle". It played host to the first NCAA basketball game on an aircraft carrier on 11/11/11 between the University of North...
to perform strikes against Taliban and Al Qaeda forces in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . In 2003, VFA-22 deployed with Carrier Air Wing 9 on board the "Carl Vinson" on an extended eight month Western Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
. In July, 2004, VFA-22 transitioned to F/A-18 E Super Hornets, and in January, 2006, deployed with Carrier Air Wing 14 on board the USS Ronald Reagan for six months in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
In early 2007, VFA-22, made a surge deployment with Carrier Air Wing 14 and USS Ronald Reagan to the Pacific Ocean with a mixed unit of F/A-18E and F/A-18F as the unit was in the middle of transitioning to the two seater. By the end of 2007, VFA-22 had transitioned to the F/A-18F Super Hornet.
On 18 May 2008, the carrier and its strike group departed Naval Air Station North Island
Naval Air Station North Island
Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island is located at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay and is the home port of several aircraft carriers of the United States Navy...
for a scheduled deployment to an undisclosed location.
On May 28, 2009, VFA-22 and Carrier Air Wing 14 deployed with USS RONALD REAGAN(CVN-76) on a deployment to the 7th and 5th Fleet Areas of Responsibility.
2010s
In 2010, The squadron re-located from Carrier Air Wing FourteenCarrier 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:...
to Carrier Air Wing Seventeen
Carrier Air Wing Seventeen
Carrier Air Wing Seventeen , is a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The air wing is attached to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.-Mission:...
sporting the CVW-17 "AA" tailcode, and are now attached to the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70).
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