Strike Fighter Squadron 83
Active	April 1950 - present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Fighter/Attack
Role	Close air support Air interdiction Aerial reconnaissance
Part of	Carrier Air Wing Seven
Garrison/HQ	NAS Oceana
Nickname(s)	Rampagers
Motto(s)	Ram On!
Engagements	1958 Lebanon crisis Second Taiwan Strait Crisis Multinational Force in Lebanon Action in the Gulf of Sidra (1986) 1986 United States bombing of Libya Gulf War Operation Southern Watch Iraq War Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Inherent Resolve Operation Prosperity Guardian 2024 missile strikes in Yemen
Commanders
Current commander	CDR Benjamin Orloff
Aircraft flown
Attack	A-4 Skyhawk A-7 Corsair II
Fighter	F4U Corsair F8F Bearcat F9F Panther F7U Cutlass F/A-18C Hornet F/A-18 Super Hornet

Strike Fighter Squadron 83 (VFA-83), also known as the "Rampagers", are aUnited States NavyF/A-18E Super Hornet fighter squadron stationed atNaval Air Station Oceana. They are a part ofCarrier Air Wing 7, their tailcode isAG and their radio callsign isRam.

The squadron was first known as theRoaring Bulls and the first insignia was approved byChief of Naval Operations on 16 May 1950, consisting of a black bull with machine gun barrels for horns. The squadron was renamed and the first Rampager insignia was approved on 12 April 1957.

The squadron was originally established asNaval Reserve Fighter Squadron 916 (VF-916) atNAS Squantum inMassachusetts in April 1950. VF-916 was called to active duty atNAS Jacksonville on 11 February 1951 and moved toNAS Oceana,Virginia in September 1951. The squadron was assigned toCarrier Air Group 8 (CVG-8) and was equipped with theF4U-4 Corsair. CVG-8 was deployed aboardUSS Tarawa to the Mediterranean Sea from November 1951 to June 1952. Afterwards VF-916 transitioned to theF9F-5 Panther. They also flew theF8F Bearcat for a short time in 1952. On 4 February 1953, the squadron was redesignatedFighter Squadron Eighty Three (VF-83). In the same year VF-83 made a deployment aboardUSS Coral Sea to the Mediterranean Sea. In August 1954, VF-83 transitioned to theF7U-3M Cutlass equipped with theAIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile, and on 1 July 1955 was re-designated as attack squadron VA-83. VA-83 made another deployment to the Mediterranean Sea aboardUSS Intrepid in 1956, this being the first overseas deployment of a naval missile squadron.

The squadron received theA4D-1 Skyhawk in March 1957 and then in December 1957, was the first fleet squadron to receive the A4D-2 version, which was the first to be equipped with anaerial refueling capability.

From July to August 1958 following continuedcivil violence in Lebanon, VA-83 was deployed as part of Air Task Group 201 (ATG-201) aboardUSS Essex. The squadron flew sorties during the U.S. Marine Corps landings in Lebanon, and two of its aircraft were hit by hostile small arms fire receiving minor damage. In September 1958 the squadron conducted flight operations from USSEssex while operating in theTaiwan Straits in response to thePeople’s Republic of China shelling of the Quemoy Islands.

From 1960 to 1966 VA-83 made five deployments with CVW-8 aboardUSS Forrestal to the Mediterranean Sea, the first still flying the A-4B, then two with the A-4C, and two with the A-4E. In 1961 and 1962 they won the COMNAVAIRLANTBattle “E”. In August 1962, a squadron A4D-2N Skyhawk cross-decked aboard the British carrierHMS Hermes. In late 1963 a detachment of VA-83 also operated fromUSS Lake Champlain providing fighter cover for Anti-Submarine Carrier Air Group 52 (CVSG-52). On 15 June 1966 they re-located toNAS Cecil Field inFlorida. In 1966-67 and 1967-68 CVW-8 and VA-83 were deployed onUSS Shangri-La, and in 1969 onUSS John F. Kennedy. During the last two deployments the squadron flew again A-4Cs.

In June 1970, VA-83 transitioned to theA-7 Corsair II and was reassigned toCarrier Air Wing Seventeen (CVW-17). From January 1971 to November 1982 VA-83 deployed eight times aboard USSForrestal to the Mediterranean Sea. In 1973, the squadron won its thirdCNO Aviation Safety Award and in March 1974 they began their 14th Mediterranean deployment.

From July to August 1974, the squadron operated in the vicinity ofCyprus following acoup in that country and itsinvasion by Turkish forces. In 1975 they completed their 25th year as an active squadron, and had amassed 20,000 accident free flight hours which earned them another CNO Safety Award. Between 1975 and 1982 they made three deployments, including training operations withNATO allies in theNorth Atlantic.

From May to June 1981 while embarked on USSForrestal, VA-83 operated in the eastern Mediterranean followingIsraeli reprisal raids againstSyrian missile batteries located in southernLebanon.

In August 1981, the squadron participated in aFreedom of Navigation Exercise in theGulf of Sidra. During this exercise twoF-14 Tomcats fromUSS Nimitz shot down two LibyanSU-22 Fitters on 18 August, in what became known as the"Gulf of Sidra incident". Tensions escalated and VA-83 flew reconnaissance missions over potentially hostile Libyan ships.

In 1982 they deployed to supportpeacekeeping forces inLebanon. Between 1984 and 1994 VA-83 and CVW-17 were assigned for six deployments toUSS Saratoga. During the 1985-1986 cruise they supported operations in theIndian Ocean as well asoperations in the Mediterranean Sea andOperation El Dorado Canyon againstLibya. Squadron aircraft firedAGM-88 HARMs against a Libyan missile radar site, marking the first use of that missile in combat.

1987 marked their final deployment with the A-7, and in November they began the transition to theF/A-18C Hornet, and on 1 March 1988 were re-designated toStrike Fighter Squadron (VFA-83).

In mid-1990 they made their first Hornet deployment aboard USSSaratoga in support ofOperation Desert Shield andOperation Desert Storm. For 43 days they flew 237 combat missions overIraq andKuwait, they were awarded the 1990 COMNAVAIRLANT Battle “E” and the 1991 CNO Aviation Safety Award.

In 1992 they deployed to theAdriatic Sea supportingUnited Nations operations in formerYugoslavia. In 1994 they made a second deployment to the area, which also marked the first ever detachment toJordan. They were awarded their sixth CNO Aviation Safety Award in 1994. In 1996 the squadron deployed to the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea and thePersian Gulf on boardUSS Enterprise in support ofOperation Southern Watch. In 1996 they were awarded the Battle “E” andMichael J. Estocin Award, as the best F/A-18 squadron in the US Navy. The squadron was then equipped with the F/A-18C(N). In April 1998 VFA-83 was relocated to NAS Oceana, Virginia. During the same year the squadron was deployed aboardUSS Dwight D. Eisenhower to the Mediterranean Sea.

CVW-17 was then reassigned to the carrierUSS George Washington and made two deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea in 2000 and 2002, supportingOperation Enduring Freedom andOperation Iraqi Freedom. These operations continued in 2004 during the last deployment of USSJohn F. Kennedy.

VFA-83 was then reassigned toCarrier Air Wing Seven and deployed again on USSDwight D. Eisenhower to the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean from October 2006 to May 2007. As USSDwight D. Eisenhower was refitted in 2008, the strike fighter squadrons of CVW-7 were assigned to CVW-17 and conducted a work-up period on USSGeorge Washington. During that cruise CVW-7's squadrons retained their tail code "AG".

As of August 2018, the Rampagers have transitioned to theF/A-18 Super Hornet.

In October 2023, VFA-83 began a combat deployment within Air Wing Three onboard theDwight D. Eisenhower. The deployment focused heavily within the CENTCOM AOR. For the majority of the deployment, VFA-83 operated from the Red Sea.

Constant combat operations occurred during the deployment, with VFA-83 conducting defensive and offensive operations against Houthi-Iranian military units in Yemen. VFA-83 was at the forefront of operations against Houthi-Iranian launched drones.

• Naval aviation
• Modern US Navy carrier air operations
• List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
• List of Inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons

Wikimedia Commons has media related toStrike Fighter Squadron 83 (United States Navy).

• VFA-83's official website
• Squadron history - VFA-83 Rampagers

• Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from June 2017