In the middle of July 2024, some of the US Navy squadrons concluded the several-month-long deployment to the region known as Horn of Africa region and returned to their home bases. Among them there were Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA) 32, 83, 105 and 131, as well as Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130.
During their deployment, the aforementioned US Navy aviation units were supporting the US-led combat activities tasked to ensure freedom of navigation on the high seas – codenamed Prosperity Guardian and Yukon Lightning – as well as Operation Inherent Resolve, aimed to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Those military operations carried out in the Horn of Africa area meant a historic combat deployment for VAQ-130, the ´Zappers´.
The squadron, flying EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft, operated from the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), being part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKECSG). During the deployment, the VAQ-130 aircraft executed several combat missions in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Gulf of Aden to maintain the freedom of navigation in international waterways. They also conducted seven pre-planned, dedicated strikes into Houthi-controlled Yemen and executed nearly 700 combat missions to degrade the Houthi capability to threaten innocent shipping.
The VAQ-130 mission in the Horn of Africa region was marked by the first use of an Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) in combat. The ´Zappers´ were also the first Growler squadron in the US Navy history to score an air-to-air kill.
´I can’t remember the last time the Navy had a more challenging deployment with a combination of multiple extensions, severely limited opportunities for R&R, and true combat,´ said Cmdr. Carl Ellsworth, commanding officer of VAQ-130. ´…not just for aviators, but the crew of the whole strike group as well, in the most kinetic action at sea since World War II. Words can’t do justice to how proud I am of this ‘Zapper’ Team which performed their duty in combat amidst incredibly challenging circumstances for months on end, frequently not knowing what each day would bring. The best of our country is right here at VAQ-130.´
The VFA-32 ´Fighting Swordsmen´ was another US Navy squadron of the IKECSG. During its nine-month combat deployment, the unit flew over 3,000 combat hours and completed almost 1,500 combat missions in support of Operations Inherent Resolve and Prosperity Guardian. The squadron employed over 20 air-to-air missiles against Houthi one-way attack drones, which targeted civilian merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Bab-al-Mandeb Strait.
´The success of the entire squadron over the past nine months is a testament to all the members of the command and their friends and family at home that support them,´ said Cmdr. Jason Hoch, commanding officer of VFA-32. ´I couldn’t be prouder of the Swordsmen’s performance day-in and day-out in incredibly demanding conditions. We proved over and over again that the flexibility a carrier strike group brings to the fight is unmatched, and that is solely due to the highly trained and motivated Sailors who go above and beyond the call of duty each and every day.´
And it is just the VFA-32, which marked the aviation history with the first American female pilot to engage and shot down an air-to-air target.
Until now, no further details regarding the name of the pilot and exact type of aircraft shot down in combat were disclosed by the US Navy. The same regards the type of aforementioned aerial target destroyed by the Growler crew of the VAQ-130.
The IKE strike group is commanded by Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 and comprised of flagship aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), guided-missile destroyers USS Mason (DDG 87) and USS Gravely (DDG 107) of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 3, and the Information Warfare Commander.
Squadrons of CVW 3 include the ´Gunslingers´ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 105, the ´Fighting Swordsmen´ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, the ´Rampagers´ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 83, the ´Wildcats´ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 131, the ´Screwtops´ of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123, the ´Zappers´ of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, the ´Dusty Dogs´ of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7, the ´Swamp Foxes´ of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 74 and the ´Rawhides´ of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40.
Cover photo: An F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet, attached to the ´Fighting Swordsmen´ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, launches from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Red Sea, March 2024 (US Navy official photo, cropped).
All photos and quotations © U.S. Department of Defence (DoD). DoD information materials were used, in compliance with Public Domain licence. The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
