VFA-2

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Strike Fighter Squadron Two
VFA-2 Insignia
Active	1921
Country	United States
Branch	US Navy
Type	Fighter/Attack
Role	Close air support Air interdiction Aerial reconnaissance
Part of	Carrier Air Wing 2
Garrison/HQ	Naval Air Station Lemoore
Nickname	"Bounty Hunters"
Equipment	F/A-18F Super Hornet
Engagements	World War II Operation Frequent Wind Iranian Hostage Crisis Operation Desert Storm Operation Southern Watch Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Unified Assistance
Decorations	Battle Efficiency "E"
Commanders
Current commander	Commander S. F. Guimond
Ceremonial chief	Awaiting New Arrival

VFA-2 Strike Fighter Squadron 2 (VFA-2) also known as the "Bounty Hunters" is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore California.

Originally designated VF-2, the unit was re-established on July 1st, 2003, as VFA-2, to reflect its transition from flying the F-14D Super Tomcat to the F/A-18F Super Hornet. The Bounty Hunters are attached to Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2), a composite unit made up of a wide array of aircraft performing a variety of combat and support missions. The squadron is currently deployed on board the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)

1 History
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

[edit] The First VF-2

An F/A-18 Super Hornet from VFA-2.

VFA-2’s legacy traces back to Combat Squadron Four in mid 1921 and home-based at Naval Air Station San Diego, but was soon re-designated Fighter Squadron 2, flying the Chance-Vought VE-7 biplane. The squadron was deployed on board the USS Langley (CV-1), the first aircraft carrier operated by the US Navy. Between 1922 and 1925, carrier operations were an experiment, and VF-2 along with VF-1 (but were usually shore-based), carried out air activity from the Langley outside the coast of California, but it was limited to scouting but nevertheless, the performance was impressive that the Commander-in-Chief of the US Fleet recommended that the USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Saratoga (CV-3) were to be completed as soon as possible. VF-2 was the first squadron to demonstrate a the concept of dive-bombing in 1926, carrying out mock-attacks on Pacific Fleet ships, the commander of the surface ships expected a standard low-altitude level bombing, but the commanding officer of VF-2 came in high in their F6C Hawk unseen from twelve thousand feet and made simulated drops before the ships defences could be manned.

[edit] The Second VF-2

On January 4, 1927, VF-2 were re-designated VF-6 with six VE-7s, but these planes were soon replaced by the Curtis F6C and after that, the FC-1. Between July and September 1927, the squadron participated in Fleet Air Concentration at San Diego, which was followed by the assignment to duty on board the battleships of the Battle Fleet, one plane was assigned to each battleship, with the remaining planes shore-based at North Island, San Diego. The FU-1s operated from catapults as seaplanes until they returned to San Diego in June 1928 for gunnery practice and tactical manoeuvres. In 1929 the squadron transferred to the USS Langley. The squadron made two more deployments on board the Langley in 1930 and 1931 with F2Bs. They later transitioned to Boeing F3Bs, high altitude fighters. During the course of the late 1920’s to the 1930’s, VF-2 changed it’s designation several times, in 1932 they went from VF-2B to VF-2S and were transferred to the Scouting Fleet, but changed back to VF-2B in 1933 and went back to the Battle Fleet. In 1937 the last letter in a squadron was removed and they became VF-2 again. (B would mean a squadron was attached to the Battle Fleet, and S that it belonged to the Scouting Fleet). At the time of Pearl Harbor, VF-2 flew the F2A Brewster Buffalos but soon changed to the Grumman F4F Wildcats as the Buffalos had weak landing gears.

The squadron’s first combat occurred during the two-day Battle of the Coral Sea, the world’s first engagement between aircraft carriers. On May 7, 1942, the commanding officer led the escort of Lexington’s strike against the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō. They claimed six confirmed aerial kills and three probable kills. The next day, Japanese carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku exchanged air strikes with the US force, VF-2 lost five aircraft while claiming 11 kills, Lexington succumbed to torpedo damage. With their carrier gone, VF-2 Flying Chiefs were disestablished on July 1, 1942.

[edit] The Third Fighting Two

On June 1, 1943, the third Fighting Two began its life at Naval Air Station Atlantic City, VF-2 Rippers became the first World War II fighting squadron to bear the same designation as a previous unit in the war. Several pilots came from VF-6 and VF-10. The squadron initially deployed eight FM-1s but soon received the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Fighting Two would be a big contributor to the Hellcat legend as they were one of the most famous planes during the war. VF-2 trained on the east-coast until October 1943 when it headed west to San Francisco and then Hawaii. In Hawaii, VF-2 participated in a Marine landing exercise and impressed the influential “Butch” O’Hare that he requested that VF-2 would replace VF-6 in his Air Group 6 on board the USS Enterprise (CV-6). From November 1943 to January 1944 VF-2 relieved VF-6, they saw action during the invasion of Gilbert Islands: Makin Atoll and Tarawa Atoll, they also participated in raids against the Marshall Islands of Kwajalein, Ebeye and Roi-Namur. CAG O’Hare organized “bat teams” of one TBF Avenger and two F6F’s for night interceptions, but he self died during one of those missions. They returned to Pearl Harbor and VF-2 participated in many exercises until March 1944, deploying on board USS Hornet (CV-8), they didn’t see much combat until June of 1944.

VF-2 participated in the strikes against the Marianas on the afternoon June 11, 1944 (instead of early morning hours June 12 which the invasion plan called for). Over 200 Hellcats were launched from the American carriers, 200 miles (320 km) from their targets at Guam and Rota (island). VF-2 claimed 23 victories during the attack over the Guam airfield, while USS Hornet’s CAP destroyed 3 Betty medium bombers and a second strike on Guam claimed another 10 Japanese aircraft. VF-2 scored 37 victories and only losing one plane. The next day VF-2 attacked the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima with intent to destroy Japanese aircraft, this time only pilots which had not scored any kills were sent on this mission, claiming 17 kills. During the following days, VF-2 were ordered on a 380-mile (610 km) mission to search after the Japanese fleet, but no one found the enemy.

Between June 19 and June 20, VF-2 was credited with 47 victories with only one airplane damaged beyond repair. One pilot, called “Spider” downed six over Guam following his famous radio call “I’ve got 40 Japs surrounded!”. By Dawn of June 20, they had downed a huge number of enemy aircraft but with no luck finding the Japanese carriers, but around 1600 a contact was made, the enemy was about 200 miles (320 km) to the west. A strike was ordered with bombs and torpedoes. After the strike, only six VF-2 pilots gathered in their ready room on board the USS Hornet, but it turned out that the others had landed on other carriers or fished out of the water, but in the end they had lost five aircraft. Five days later, VF-2 claimed 67 kills in one day during a sweep of Iwo Jima, one F6F was lost and one was beyond repairs.

On September 22, 1944, the Rippers closed their victory log when “Spider” Webb downed an enemy aircraft over Manila. During the 1943-44 period VF-2 had conducted 184 strikes, 2050 sorties, 14.090 combat hours, destroyed 50, 000 tons of ships, shot down 216 airplanes, destroyed 245 airplanes on the ground and lost 3 airplanes in aerial combat and 4 to anti-aircraft fire.

[edit] Current Fighting Two

An F-14 Tomcat from VF-2.

At the end of WWII, VF-2 was disestablished and remained absent from naval aviation for 27 years until it was selected to introduce the F-14 Tomcat to the Navy. VF-2 Bounty Hunters came to life on October 14, 1972, along with VF-1 Wolfpack. Both VF-1 and VF-2 completed aircrew training and received its first F-14s in July 1973, but it was not until the spring of 1974 that VF-2 had a full strength of 12 F-14s due to the low production rate of the F-14. The first cruise with the F-14 saw VF-1 and 2 deploying on board USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in support of Operation Frequent Wind in 1974. The end of the cruise saw the first combat debut for the Tomcat, as VF-1 and VF-2 flew cover over Saigon for evacuation of US personnel in April, 1975 as part of Operation Frequent Wind. The Bounty Hunters was also the first TARPS unit for both CVW-14 and CVW-2. VF-1 and VF-2 were assigned to USS Ranger (CVA-61) for the September 1980 deployment, four months of which were spent in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf during the Iran hostage crisis. They cruised with the USS Ranger until 1993, apart from a single cruise aboard the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) in 1984.

On June 2, 1984, VF-2 became the first to launch an F-14 from an aircraft carrier while towing an air-to-air gunnery target. In 1987 the squadron logged USS Ranger’s 260,000th landing. The unit participated in Operation Desert Storm from USS Ranger, flying over 500 combat mission and 1900 combat flight hours during the 43-day war. VF-2 performed escort, reconnaissance and CAP mission. After the 1992-1993 cruise, the USS Ranger was decommissioned (along with VF-2’s sister squadron VF-1), VF-2 and CVW-2 switched to the USS Constellation (CV-64). At the same time, VF-2 transitioned to the F-14D Super Tomcat. After the 1995 cruise VF-2 returned to NAS Miramar, but a few months later they, along with other F-14 squadrons based there, moved to NAS Oceana as Miramar became MCAS Miramar. In April 1996, VF-2 began training for the 1997 deployment and their F-14s were modified to carry the LANTIRN pod, giving them precision strike capabilities. As the F-14 turned 25 in 1997, Grumman repainted a VF-2 F-14D to a 1970’s colour scheme as VF-2 had flown the F-14 longest, the aircraft was an F-14A rebuilt to F-14D.

In September 1998 VF-2 were back on the missile ranges, this time as Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico, four F-14’s launched five missiles, three AIM-54’s and two AIM-7’s during one flight.

The U.S. Navy laid the former 6th Fleet Flagship, USS Belknap (CG-26), to rest September 24, 1998. The 580-foot (180 m) cruiser was decommissioned February 15, 1995. Since then, the ship had occupied a valuable berth at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility (NISMF) in Philadelphia, Penn. As in the past, the Navy's solution to the difficult disposal of a large, outdated ship has been to sink it as part of a "War at Sea" training scenario. The scenario for the Belknap was to use air, surface and subsurface firepower to attack the cruiser 150 miles (240 km) off the coast of Virginia. Fighter Squadron Two (VF-2) "Bounty Hunters," of NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va., led the high profile air-to-ground portion of the mission with 20,000 pounds of live Mk-80 series bombs. While the F-14 Tomcat is capable of dropping precision-guided munitions, Mk-80 series bombs were chosen to show sceptics that the Tomcat is extremely capable of accurately dropping unguided bombs with lethal precision. With authority, the Bounty Hunters, along with VF-41, VF-143 and VF-211 did just that - and it was a spectacular display. During their 1999 cruise, VF-2 supported Operation Southern Watch and led the way on September 9, when CVW-2 jets attacked Surface-to-Air Missile sites and anti-aircraft guns around Basra. This saw the air wing expend the most ordnance in a single day since Desert Storm. The same day VF-2 almost got their first air-to-air kill with the AIM-54 Phoenix when an F-14D engaged two Iraqi MiG-23’s that were heading south into the No-Fly Zone from Al Taqaddum airbase, west of Baghdad. The missile went into the ground and his wingman, an F/A-18 from VFA-151, was ordered to launch an AIM-7 Sparrow, but the MiGs turned north and headed back once they had detected the Phoenix-launch.

In the summer of 2001, VF-2 went on a new cruise on board the USS Constellation, taking them to the Persian Gulf enforcing Operation Southern Watch.

During the 2002-2003 cruise, the final cruise with the F-14 Tomcat, VF-2 would participate in Operation Iraqi Freedom, flying 483 sorties and dropping 294 Laser-guided bomb's/JDAM/MK-82 bombs with a 98% sortie completion rate, flying a wide range of missions including, reconnaissance, Close Air Support, Combat Air Patrol and of course bombing missions . On February 28, 2003, during Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, Bullet 111, flown by CDR Dave “Burner” Burnham and LT Justin “Donger” Hsu, delivered the first F-14D JDAM in combat. VF-2’s behind-the-scenes efforts were the driving force behind the early release of the Operational Flight Program (OFP) D04. The “Bounty Hunters” worked hand-in-hand with VX-31, VX-9, Pax River, and the Class Desk to ensure that the F-14D community would have its badly needed JDAM capability in time for IRAQI FREEDOM. Due to the foresight and persistent efforts of VF-2, all three deployed F-14D squadrons were ready for the war. Some memorable missions during the war were the attack on the Ministry of Information’s Salman Pak radio relay transmitter facility at Al Hurriyah with JDAM-bombs, and the attack on the Al Taqddum air base during the first mission of the war on March 21. Another memorable mission during the war was when two TARPS-equipped F-14s, armed with two 500 lb (230 kg) MK-82 bombs each, attacked Saddam Hussein’s personal yacht, the Al Mansur (The Victor), which had been attacked in the past by S-3 Vikings and F/A-18 Hornets. The lead conducted the first attack twice and its two bombs hit the bow and just forward of amidships. The wingman came in second and dropped bombs, with one hitting the hull just above the waterline and the second bomb disappeared amongst the yacht’s superstructure. The F-14’s did not anticipate to hit a ship but to support ground troops instead, and therefore the bombs were fitted with instantaneous fuses and exploded as soon as they hit the ship, which caused minimal damage. On July 1, VF-2 became VFA-2.

On October 6, 2003, VFA-2 took delivery of its first F/A-18F Super Hornet. The transition to the new aircraft took only four and a half months, the shortest time ever for a Tomcat to Super Hornet transition. With the USS Constellation (CV-64) being decommissioned, VFA-2 was reassigned to USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) to deploy with CVW-2. They were deployed to the Western Pacific in October of 2004. They returned in March 2005 after supporting Operation Unified Assistance which provided humanitarian support to Southeast Asia after the tsunami. As of March 2006, VFA-2 is embarked on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) as the carrier participates in Reception Staging Onward Movement and Integration and Foal Eagle 2006.

On March 13, 2008, VFA-2 embarked with CVW-2 on board USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) on a seven-month deployment to the Persian Gulf.