VFA-81 Sunliners , Hobbymaster & Calibre Wings Model Announcements and Hobbymaster Next Delivery.

 

Strike Fighter Squadron 81 (VFA-81), also known as the “Sunliners”, is a United States Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana. They are a part of Carrier Air Wing One, their radio callsign is Inferno, and their tail code is AB. Their mission is to conduct prompt and sustained combat operations from the sea. The squadron was originally designated VA-66 on 1st July 1955, was redesignated VF-81 the same day, redesignated VA-81 on 1st July 1959, and finally redesignated VFA-81 on 4th February 1988.

The squadron was originally called Crusaders and their first insignia was approved by Chief of Naval Operations on December 16th, 1955. The original insignia was a black cougar on a light blue background.

On 21st November 1963, the squadron was renamed the Sunliners 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 March 30th, 1988.

History

1950s

The squadron was originally established as Attack Squadron 66 (VA-66) on 1st July 1955. On the same day, they were redesignated Fighter Squadron 81 (VF-81), an all weather fighter interceptor squadron flying the F9F-8B Cougar. Their first deployment was with CVG-17 in late 1956 aboard USS Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Suez Crisis. In 1958 VF-81 made a deployment as part of Air Task Group 181 (ATG-181) aboard USS Lake Champlain to the Mediterranean Sea. In the next year VF-81 went to sea with ATG-182 to the North Atlantic aboard USS Intrepid.

 

On 4th March 1959 VF-81 was reequipped with the A4D-2 Skyhawk and redesignated attack squadron VA-81 on 1st July 1959.

1960s

VA-81 was assigned to CVG-8 and made five deployments to the Mediterranean Sea aboard USS Forrestal between 1960 and 1966.

 

From October 1961 to February 1962, a detachment of VA-81 Skyhawks deployed to the North Atlantic embarked on USS Essex. The detachment was provided air cover for antisubmarine warfare units embarked on USS Essex with their AIM-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 with CVG-8 to the Mediterranean, this time aboard USS 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 aboard USS John F. Kennedy as part of CVW-1, operating for a time off the coast of Libya following the 1969 Libyan coup d’état.

1970s

In February 1970, the squadron won the Navy Battle “E” for East Coast A-4 squadrons. In May 1970, VA-81 transitioned to the A-7E Corsair II and was reassigned to CVW-17.

Between 1971 and 1982 VA-81 made eight deployments to the 6th Fleet aboard USS Forrestal.

In December 1972, the squadron’s A-7Es conducted cross-deck operations with the British carrier HMS Ark Royal.

From July to August 1974, VA-81 operated from USS Forrestal in the vicinity of Cyprus following the coup and subsequent Turkish invasion. Surveillance and cover missions were flown by the squadron during the crisis.

1980s

VA-81 embarked on USS Forrestal 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 a Freedom of Navigation Exercise in the Gulf of Sidra. During this exercise on August 18th, two F-14A Tomcats from USS Nimitz shot down two Libyan SU-22 Fitters. Tensions escalated, and VA-81 flew reconnaissance missions over potentially hostile Libyan ships.

Between 1984 and 1987 VA-81 made three deployments with Saratoga.

 

On March 23rd, 1986, while operating off coast of Libya, aircraft from Saratoga, USS Coral Sea and USS America crossed what Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi had called the “Line of Death” and this escalated into the Action 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 fired SA-5 Gammon surface-to-air missiles from the coastal town of Sirte. The missiles missed their F-14 targets and fell harmlessly into the water. Later that afternoon, U.S. aircraft turned back two Libyan MiG-25 fighter planes over the disputed Gulf of Sidra. In response an A-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 for VA-83’s HARM 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 February 4th, 1988, VA-81 transitioned to the F/A-18C Hornet and was redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 81 (VFA-81).

1990s

The squadron made three deployments aboard USS Saratoga between 1990 and 1994. On its first cruise operating the F/A-18, VFA-81 participated in the Gulf War. On January 17th, 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 the Iraqi Air Force, while flying a mission west of Baghdad.

 

On the same day, the squadron scored the Navy’s only two aerial victories over enemy fighters during the campaign by downing two Iraqi MiG-21s.

Lt Mongillo was flying F/A-18C AA 410, while Cdr Fox was in AA 401. The two men were in a flight of four Hornets, each loaded with four 2,000lb Mk.84 bombs. As they approached Al Walid Air Base H-3, their target in western Iraq, the flight received the urgent alert, “400 Bandits on your Nose at 15,” from E-2C Hawkeye #600 (from Saratoga’s VAW-125). A brace of MiG-21s were vectoring towards the bomb-laden Hornets for a head-on attack just fifteen miles away!

As Cdr Fox noted within the book, Gulf War Air Debrief, “It all happened very quickly. I switched back to air-to-air and got a lock on one of them. I had the MiG on the right while the second Hornet in our formation – Lieutenant Mongillo – took the MiG on the left. The other two Hornets [flown by VFA-81’s Executive Officer CDR Bill “Maggot” McKee and VFA-83’s OpsO LT CDR Chuck “Bouncer” Osborne] had also acquired radar locks.”

“The MiGs approached us, nose on, supersonic at Mach 1.2. Our relative rate of closure was more than 1,200 knots. They weren’t maneuvering. I shot a Sidewinder first. It was a smokeless missile and I thought, at first, that I had wasted it because I couldn’t see it tracking toward the MiG. I fired a Sparrow. The Sidewinder hit, though, followed by the Sparrow. The first missile actually did the job, and the Sparrow flew into the fireball. The whole event, from the E-2’s call to missile impact, took less than 40 seconds.”

Meanwhile, Lt Mongillo locked-on to the trailing target at about 8 miles out, identifying it positively at 4.5 nautical miles and fired an AIM-7 Sidewinder at it moments later, which successfully destroyed the enemy aircraft. While the flight of Hornets did receive information on further contacts at 20 nautical miles out, they continued with their primary mission, to bomb the Al Walid Air Base, which they accomplished before returning back to the Saratoga.

 

VFA-81 returned to its homeport of NAS Cecil Field, Florida on 27th March 1991, following the swift coalition victory. The squadron also participated in the last Mediterranean deployment of USS Saratoga, which was decommissioned in August 1994.

In 1996 VFA-81 made a cruise with CVW-17 aboard USS Enterprise, followed by a deployment aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1998. Following this cruise, the squadron shifted its homeport to NAS Oceana, Virginia due to the BRAC-mandated closure of NAS Cecil Field in 1999.

2000s

In 2000, 2001 and 2002 VFA-81 made three deployments aboard USS George Washington to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf. In 2004 VFA-81 made a single deployment aboard USS John F. Kennedy.

 

In 2007 VFA-81 was reassigned to CVW-11 in the Pacific Fleet and deployed aboard USS Nimitz to the Western Pacific and the Persian Gulf. Its last deployment ended on June 3rd, 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 with CVW-17 for a Western Pacific and Persian Gulf deployment aboard USS Carl Vinson.

In 2012, the squadron completed a surge deployment with Carrier Air Wing 17 aboard USS Carl Vinson.

In 2014, the squadron was embarked with CVW-17 aboard USS Carl Vinson in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and returned to NAS Oceana in 2015.

In spring 2018, the squadron was embarked with CVW-1 aboard USS Harry S. Truman in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and returned to NAS Oceana in late summer 2018.

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Hobbymaster 1/72nd scale F/A-18C Hornet “MiG Killer” 163502/AA410, VFA-81 “Sunliners” January 1991

Check out the Hobbymaster  1/72nd scale model of F/A-18C Hornet “MiG Killer” 163502/AA410, VFA-81 “Sunliners” , available to pre-order from Flying Tigers. CLICK HERE to go to the model page.

At the beginning of Operation Desert Storm on January 17th, 1991 4 F/A-18Cs from VFA-81 “Sunliners” departed USS Saratoga each loaded with 4 Mk 84 2000-lb bombs. Their mission, bomb Al Walid AB H-3 out of commission. As they approached their target an E-2 notified them of enemy 15 miles away. LCDR Mark “MRT” Fox “AA 401 (BuNo 163508) and Lt. Nick “Mongo” Mongillo AA 410 (BuNo 163502) are credited with engaging 2 MiG-21s and shooting down both aircraft. These were the only USN air-to-air victories. Both aircraft are preserved at Pensacola.

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Calibre Wings New Model Announcement.

Check out the latest 1/72nd scale model Grumman F-14A Tomcat VF-211 Fighting Checkmates available  to pre-order from Flying Tigers. Please click on the image/links below to go straight to the model page to order your now.

 

Strike Fighter Squadron 211 (VFA-211), nicknamed the “Fighting Checkmates”, is an aviation unit of the United States Navy established in 1945. n 1975, VF-211 transitioned to the F-14A Tomcat, deploying with Carrier Air Wing Nine in April 1977 aboard USS Constellation. The squadron completed numerous WESTPAC deployments aboard USS Constellation during the 1970s and 1980s. The squadron is based at Naval Air Station Oceana and is equipped with the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.

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Hobbymaster New Model Announcements.

Check out the latest Hobbymaster models which are now available to pre-order at Flying Tigers today.

Don’t forget NO DEPOSIT necessary with Flying Tigers and if you order with your debit or credit card your payment is not taken until your model is available to dispatch.

Flying Tigers will also consolidate your orders to save on postage costs across all brands !

Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice, or CLICK HERE to see them all.

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Next Hobbymaster model delivery due w/c 25th April.

Check out the next delivery of Hobbymaster models which are arriving at Flying Tigers w/c 25th April and are available to pre-order at Flying Tigers today.

Don’t forget NO DEPOSIT necessary with Flying Tigers and if you order with your debit or credit card your payment is not taken until your model is available to dispatch.

Flying Tigers will also consolidate your orders to save on postage costs across all brands !

Please click on the images / links below to go to the model of your choice, or CLICK HERE to see them all.

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That is all for this week.

Thank you for reading this week’s Newsletter.

Richard.
Flying Tigers.