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| Strike Fighter Squadron 81 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1 July 1955 - present |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Navy |
| Type | Fighter/Attack |
| Role | Close air support Air interdiction Aerial reconnaissance |
| Part of |  Carrier Air Wing One |
| Garrison/HQ |  NAS Oceana |
| Nickname | Sunliners |
| Mottos | "Anytime, Anyplace" |
| Engagements | Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986) 1986 United States bombing of Libya Gulf War Operation Deny Flight Operation Southern Watch Operation Deliberate Force Operation Enduring Freedom Iraq War Operation Inherent Resolve Operation Prosperity Guardian Operation Poseidon Archer |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | CDR Craig K. Searles, USN |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Attack | A-4 Skyhawk A-7 Corsair II |
| Fighter | F9F-8B Cougar F/A-18C Hornet F/A-18E Super Hornet |
Strike Fighter Squadron 81 (VFA-81), also known as the "Sunliners", is aUnited States NavyF/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter squadron stationed atNaval Air Station Oceana. They are currently assigned toCarrier Air Wing 1. Their mission is to conduct prompt and sustained combat operations from the sea. The squadron was originally designatedVA-66 on 1 July 1955, was redesignatedVF-81 the same day, redesignatedVA-81 on 1 July 1959, and finally redesignatedVFA-81 on 4 February 1988.
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The squadron was originally calledCrusaders and their first insignia was approved byChief of Naval Operations on 16 December 1955. The original insignia was a black cougar on a light blue background.
On 21 November 1963, the squadron was renamed theSunliners and a new insignia was approved consisting of a black background with the international orange "Sun Dial" design. They also adopted the motto "Anytime, Anyplace" at this time.
When the squadron was redesignated VFA, a modification to the current design was made on 30 March 1988.
The squadron was originally established as Attack Squadron 66 (VA-66) on 1 July 1955. On the same day, they were redesignated Fighter Squadron 81 (VF-81), an all weather fighter interceptor squadron flying theF9F-8B Cougar. Their first deployment was withCVG-17 in late 1956 aboardUSS Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to theSuez Crisis. In 1958 VF-81 made a deployment as part of Air Task Group 181 (ATG-181) aboardUSS Lake Champlain to theMediterranean Sea. In the next year VF-81 went to sea with ATG-182 to theNorth Atlantic aboardUSS Intrepid.
On 4 March 1959 VF-81 was reequipped with theA4D-2 Skyhawk and redesignated attack squadronVA-81 on 1 July 1959.
VA-81 was assigned toCVG-8 and made five deployments to the Mediterranean Sea aboardUSS Forrestal between 1960 and 1966.
From October 1961 to February 1962, a detachment of VA-81 Skyhawks deployed to the North Atlantic embarked onUSS Essex. The detachment was provided air cover forantisubmarine warfare units embarked on USSEssex with theirAIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. The detachment was the first jet unit to function as part of an antisubmarine killer force.
In April 1963 the squadron transitioned from the A-4B (A4D-2) to the A-4C Skyhawk.
In 1966 and 1967, VA-81 was deployed withCVG-8 to the Mediterranean, this time aboardUSS Shangri-La. For the 1967/68 deployment aboard the same carrier, the squadron flew the A-4C.
In 1969 VA-81 A-4Cs made a single deployment to the Mediterranean aboardUSS John F. Kennedy as part ofCVW-1, operating for a time off the coast ofLibya following the1969 Libyan coup d'état.
In February 1970, the squadron won the Navy Battle "E" for East Coast A-4 squadrons. In May 1970, VA-81 transitioned to theA-7E Corsair II and was reassigned toCVW-17.
Between 1971 and 1982 VA-81 made eight deployments to the6th Fleet aboard USSForrestal.
In December 1972, the squadron's A-7Es conducted cross-deck operations with the British carrierHMS Ark Royal.
From July to August 1974, VA-81 operated from USSForrestal in the vicinity ofCyprus following thecoup andsubsequent Turkish invasion. Surveillance and cover missions were flown by the squadron during the crisis.
VA-81 embarked on USSForrestal from May to June 1981, operating in the eastern Mediterranean following Israeli reprisal raids against Syrian missile batteries located in southern Lebanon.In August 1981, the squadron participated aFreedom of Navigation Exercise in theGulf of Sidra. During this exercise on 18 August, twoF-14A Tomcats fromUSS Nimitzshot down two LibyanSU-22 Fitters. Tensions escalated, and VA-81 flew reconnaissance missions over potentially hostile Libyan ships.
Between 1984 and 1987 VA-81 made three deployments withUSS Saratoga.
On 23 March 1986, while operating off coast ofLibya, aircraft fromSaratoga,USS Coral Sea andUSS America crossed what Libyan leaderMuammar al-Gaddafi had called the "Line of Death" and this escalated into theAction in the Gulf of Sidra (1986). The next day, three U.S. Navy warships crossed the same 32° 30' North latitude line. Two hours later, Libyan forces firedSA-5Gammon surface-to-air missiles from the coastal town ofSirte. The missiles missed their F-14 targets and fell harmlessly into the water. Later that afternoon, U.S. aircraft turned back two LibyanMiG-25 fighter planes over the disputedGulf of Sidra. In response anA-6E Intruder attacked a Libyan missile patrol boat operating on the "Line of Death." Later that night, VA-81 aircraft acted as the decoy group forVA-83'sHARM strike against the Libyan missile radar site at Sirte. At the conclusion, three Libyan patrol boats and a radar site were destroyed by Navy aircraft.
On 4 February 1988, VA-81 transitioned to theF/A-18C Hornet and was redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 81 (VFA-81).
The squadron made three deployments aboard USSSaratoga between 1990 and 1994. On its first cruise operating the F/A-18, VFA-81 participated in theGulf War. On 17 January 1991, the first night of the war,LCDR Scott Speicher was shot down and killed while flying an F/A-18C, by a Mig-25PDS piloted by Lt. Zuhair Dawood, 84th Fighter Squadron of theIraqi Air Force, while flying a mission west ofBaghdad.
On the same day, the squadron scored the Navy's only two aerial victories over enemy fighters during the campaign by downing two IraqiMiG-21s en-route to bomb theH-3 Air Base in the western part ofIraq, byF/A-18Cs, the pilots being Nick "Mongo" Mongillo, callsign Quicksand 62, andMark "MRT" Fox, callsign Quicksand 64. VFA-81 returned to its homeport ofNAS Cecil Field, Florida on 27 March 1991, following the swift coalition victory. The squadron also participated in the last Mediterranean deployment of USSSaratoga, which was decommissioned in August 1994.
In 1996 VFA-81 made a cruise with CVW-17 aboardUSS Enterprise, followed by a deployment aboardUSS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1998. Following this cruise, the squadron shifted its homeport toNAS Oceana, Virginia due to theBRAC-mandated closure ofNAS Cecil Field in 1999.
In 2000, 2001 and 2002 VFA-81 made three deployments aboardUSS George Washington to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 2004 VFA-81 made a single deployment aboard USSJohn F. Kennedy.
In 2007 VFA-81 was reassigned toCVW-11 in the Pacific Fleet and deployed aboard USSNimitz to the Western Pacific and thePersian Gulf. Its last deployment ended on 3 June 2008, and the squadron began transition training from the F/A-18C Hornet to the F/A-18E Super Hornet.
In 2011, the squadron was embarked withCVW-17 for a Western Pacific and Persian Gulf deployment aboardUSS Carl Vinson.
In 2012, the squadron completed a surge deployment with Carrier Air Wing 17 aboard USSCarl Vinson.
In 2014, the squadron was embarked with CVW-17 aboard USSCarl Vinson in support ofOperation Inherent Resolve and returned to NAS Oceana in 2015.
In spring 2018, the squadron was embarked with CVW-1 aboard USSHarry S. Truman in support ofOperation Inherent Resolve and returned to NAS Oceana in late summer 2018.
In late September 2024, VFA-81 and their F/A-18Es departed the US as part of CVW-1 on a scheduled deployment aboard theUSS Harry S. Truman
Following multiple exercises with European militaries, VFA-81 and CVW-1 were ordered to operate in the Red Sea in defense of international shipping lanes and Israel against Houthi/Iran proxy military unit attacks from Yemen. VFA-81 and CVW-1 arrived in the CENTCOM AOR in mid December 2024 with combat operations against the Houthis/Iranians commencing upon arrival to the Red Sea.
Airstrikes were undertaken against the Houthis/Iranians for much of the later half of December 2024 through April 2025. Strikes against the Houthis/Iranian proxy military units in Yemen increased significantly following March 15, 2025, with VFA-81 and CVW-1 conducting increased sorties on a larger set of enemy targets.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons.
| Electronic Attack (VAQ) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrier Airborne Early Warning (VAW) | |||||
| Strike Fighter (VFA) | |||||
| Fleet Air Reconnaissance (VQ) | |||||
| Fleet Fighter Composite (VFC) | |||||
| Fleet Logistics Support (VR) | |||||
| Carrier Fleet Logistics Support (VRC) | |||||
| Carrier Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission (VRM) | |||||
| Patrol |
| ||||
| Unmanned (VUP) | |||||
| Training (VT) | |||||
| Helicopter Mine Countermeasures (HM) | |||||
| Helicopter Sea Combat (HSC) | |||||
| Helicopter Maritime Strike (HSM) | |||||
| Helicopter Training (HT) | |||||
