View source for VFA-87

{{Use American English|date=February 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = Strike Fighter Squadron 87 (VFA-87)
| image                         = VFA-87 Emblem.svg
| caption                       = 
| dates                         = 
| start_date                    = {{Start date and age|1968|02|01|df=yes}}
|country                        = {{USA}}
|allegiance                     =
|branch                         = {{navy|USA}}
| type                          = Fighter/Attack
| role                          = [[Close air support]]<br>[[Air interdiction]]<br>[[Aerial reconnaissance]]
| size                          = 
| command_structure             = {{nowrap|[[File:CVW-8 Emblem.svg|30px|]][[Carrier Air Wing Eight]]}}
| garrison                      = {{nowrap|[[File:NAS Oceana Emblem.svg|30px|]][[NAS Oceana]]}}
| garrison_label                = 
| nickname                      = Golden Warriors
| patron                        = 
| motto                         = "War Party Rocks!!!"
| colors                        = {{Color box|red|border=darkgray}}{{Color box|gold|border=darkgray}}
| colors_label                  = 
| march                         = 
| mascot                        = Native American Warrior
| equipment                     = 
| equipment_label               = 
| battles                       = [[Vietnam War]]<br/>[[Operation Urgent Fury]]<br/>[[Multinational Force in Lebanon]]<br/>'''[[Operation Desert Storm]]'''<br/>[[Operation Provide Comfort]]<br/>[[Operation Southern Watch]]<br/>[[Operation Deny Flight]]<br/>[[Operation Deliberate Force]]<br/>[[Operation Allied Force]]<br/>'''[[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Operation Enduring Freedom]]'''<br/>'''[[Operation Iraqi Freedom]]'''<br/>[[Operation New Dawn (Iraq, 2010-2011)|Operation New Dawn]]<br/>[[Operation Inherent Resolve]]
| anniversaries                 = 
| decorations                   = 
| battle_honours                = 
| battle_honours_label          = 
| disbanded                     = 
| flying_hours                  = 
| website                       = https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/vfa87/<!-- Commanders -->
| commander1                    = CDR John C. Schnepper, USN
| commander1_label              = Commanding Officer
| commander2                    = CDR Brandon S. Rodgers, USN
| commander2_label              = Executive Officer
| commander3                    = CMDCM (SW/FMF) Jason T. Snyder
| commander3_label              = Command Master Chief
| commander4                    = 
| commander4_label              = 
| notable_commanders            = {{Plainlist}}
[[Timothy J. Keating]]
[[Patrick M. Walsh|Patrick Walsh]]
[[Dominic Gorie]]
{{endplainlist}}
<!-- Insignia -->| identification_symbol         = War Party
| identification_symbol_label   = Call Sign
| identification_symbol_2       = AJ
| identification_symbol_3       = 
| identification_symbol_4       = 
| identification_symbol_2_label = Tail Code
| identification_symbol_3_label = 
| identification_symbol_4_label = <!-- Aircraft -->
| aircraft_attack               = [[LTV A-7 Corsair II|A-7B/E Corsair]] (1968 - 1986)
| aircraft_bomber               = 
| aircraft_electronic           = 
| aircraft_fighter              = [[McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet|F/A-18A/C/A+ Hornet]] (1986-2015)<br>[[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18E Super Hornet]] (2015-present)
| aircraft_helicopter           = 
| aircraft_helicopter_attack    = 
| aircraft_helicopter_cargo     = 
| aircraft_helicopter_multirole = 
| aircraft_helicopter_observation = 
| aircraft_helicopter_trainer   = 
| aircraft_helicopter_utility   = 
| aircraft_interceptor          = 
| aircraft_patrol               = 
| aircraft_recon                = 
| aircraft_trainer              = 
| aircraft_transport            = 
| aircraft_tanker               = 
| aircraft_helicopter_transport = 
}}

The '''Strike Fighter Squadron 87''' (VFA-87) is a [[United States Navy]] [[strike fighter]] [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]] based at [[Naval Air Station Oceana]]. The squadron is equipped with the [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet]] and is nicknamed the ''Golden Warriors'', its call sign is ''War Party''. Currently, the squadron is assigned to [[Carrier Air Wing 8]] (tail code "AJ").

==Insignia and Nickname==
The squadron's insignia and nickname were approved by [[Chief of Naval Operations|CNO]] on 29 July 1968 and have remained essentially unchanged.

==History==

===1960s===
 [[File:A-7B Corsair IIs of VA-87 aboard USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14), in 1969.jpg|thumb|left|Corsairs from VA-87 on USS ''Ticonderoga'' in 1969.]]
In June 1968, the squadron was established as VA-87, an attack aircraft squadron and the first fleet squadron to fly the [[LTV A-7 Corsair II]], at [[NAS Cecil Field]], [[Florida]]. In March 1969, the squadron flew its first combat missions from {{USS|Ticonderoga|CVA-14|6}}, striking targets in [[South Vietnam]]. In April 1969 following the [[1969 EC-121 shootdown incident|shoot down]] of a Navy [[EC-121 Warning Star]] aircraft by the [[North Korea|North Koreans]], ''Ticonderoga'', with VA-87 embarked, was ordered to the [[Sea of Japan]].

===1970s===
In the 1970s, VA-87 made 12 deployments aboard three different carriers—{{USS|Franklin D. Roosevelt|CV-42|6}}, {{USS|America|CV-66|6}} and {{USS|Independence|CV-62|6}}.

In 1973, the squadron protected U.S. interests during the [[Yom Kippur War]]. Transitioning to the improved A-7E Corsair II, the squadron returned in October 1976 to the [[Middle East]] following the assassination of the American ambassador to [[Lebanon]] [[Francis E. Meloy Jr.|Francis E. Meloy]] Jr, assisting in the evacuation of U.S. citizens, while embarked on ''America''.

===1980s===
[[File:A-7E over Port Salines airfield Grenada 1983.jpg|thumb|A VA-87 [[A-7 Corsair II|A-7E]] over [[Operation Urgent Fury|Grenada]], in 1983.]]
During the [[Iran hostage crisis]] and the Israeli-[[Syria]]n disputes of 1981, VA-87 deployed to the region for 195 days aboard ''Independence''. One year later the squadron returned, supporting U.S. peacekeeping operations in Lebanon.

In October 1983, the squadron participated in [[Operation Urgent Fury]] in [[Grenada]]. During the same deployment, VA-87 participated in strikes against Syria in response to hostile fire against U.S. reconnaissance aircraft from Syrian positions in Lebanon.

On 24 October 1986, the squadron transitioned to the F/A-18A Hornet and was redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 87 (VFA-87).

===1990s===
[[File:F-18As VFA-87 with A-6E during 1991 Gulf War.jpg|thumb|F/A-18As of VFA-87 during a raid over Iraq, in 1991.]]
On 28 December 1990, following the [[Iraq]]i invasion of [[Kuwait]], the squadron deployed for [[Operation Desert Storm]], flying 629 sorties over 43 days of intense combat.

The squadron, equipped with the newer F/A-18C, deployed to the [[Adriatic Sea]] and [[Red Sea]] from March to September 1993, flying hundreds of missions in support of [[United Nations]] [[Operation Deny Flight]], [[Operation Provide Comfort]] and [[Operation Southern Watch]]. Embarked for the last time on ''Theodore Roosevelt'', VFA-87 returned in March 1995 to [[Southwest Asia]] for a month to participate in Operation Southern Watch.

Following a hasty transit to the Adriatic, the squadron spent four months flying combat sorties over the increasingly embattled former [[Yugoslavia]]. On 30 August 1995, squadron jets were the first to strike [[Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnian]] [[Serbia|Serb]] targets as the [[Operation Deliberate Force]] campaign commenced.

VFA-87 again headed to the Adriatic to fly over [[Bosnia-Herzegovina]] in support of Operation Deliberate Guard and again in Operation Southern Watch before coming home in October 1997 to [[Naval Air Station Cecil Field]] for the last time in the squadron's history. The squadron was forced to relocate to [[NAS Oceana]], in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]] from [[NAS Cecil Field]] in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] due to a 1993 post-[[Cold War]] [[Base Realignment and Closure Commission]] (BRAC) decision mandating the closure of NAS Cecil Field by 1 Oct 1999.

The Golden Warriors made history again by participating in combat operations in two different theaters during a single deployment, operating from {{USS|Theodore Roosevelt|CVN-71|6}}. While en route to the [[Persian Gulf]] in April 1999, crisis erupted in the former Yugoslavian republic of [[Kosovo]], prompting the largest aerial bombing campaign since the Vietnam War.  In just 68 days, Golden Warrior FA-18s dropped 430,000 pounds of ordnance and flew 595 combat missions during Operation ALLIED FORCE, contributing to a [[NATO]] victory, and expelling Serbian oppressors from the war-torn province of Kosovo.  In July, VFA-87 returned to the Persian Gulf and flew 176 combat missions in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH.  The Golden Warriors returned to their first new home in over thirty years, [[NAS Oceana]] in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.vfa87.navy.mil/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-08-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317174624/http://www.vfa87.navy.mil/ |archive-date=2013-03-17 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===2000s===
In April 2001, VFA-87 deployed on a [[Persian Gulf]] cruise enforcing the [[no fly zone]] over [[Southern Iraq]] aboard {{USS|Enterprise|CVN-65|6}} until the [[September 11 attacks]] occurred. The squadron was then held on station along with the entire ''Enterprise'' battle group, to conduct first strike combat missions over [[Afghanistan]] against embedded [[Taliban]] targets. VFA-87 returned to NAS Oceana in November 2001.

====Iraq and Afghanistan====
In January 2003, USS ''Theodore Roosevelt'' battle group along with VFA-87 conducted combat operations over Iraq, initiating [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]].

VFA-87 deployed again in September 2005 aboard ''Theodore Roosevelt'', returning on 11 March 2006, and received the Atlantic Fleet "[[Battle E]]" award later that year.

In September 2006, the squadron transitioned from the F/A-18C to the F/A-18A+ and was again named the "Battle E" squadron for the Atlantic Fleet in March 2007. It deployed again in September 2008 to the North Arabian Sea, in support of [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] and returned home to NAS Oceana on 18 April 2009.

===2010s===
2010 was a year of significant accomplishment for the squadron. VFA-87 participated in three embarked periods in preparation for the maiden deployment of {{USS|George H. W. Bush|CVN-77|6}}, including a deck qualification, Independent Steaming Exercise (ISE), and Tailored Ship's Training Assessment (TSTA). Additionally the "War Party" completed three command detachments; one to NAS Key West for the Air-to-Air Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP) and two to NAS Fallon for Air-to-Ground SFARP.<ref>{{cite web|title=VFA-87 History|url=http://www.vfa87.navy.mil/|access-date=2013-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317174624/http://www.vfa87.navy.mil/|archive-date=2013-03-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In May 2011, VFA-87 departed on a deployment aboard USS ''George H. W. Bush''. While deployed the squadron flew combat missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn flying over Afghanistan and Iraq respectively in support of combat troops on the ground.

In 2012 VFA-87 successfully completed four operational detachments, transitioned back to the F/A-18C by transferring 10 F/A-18A+ and accepting 11 F/A-18C aircraft. The squadron made another deployment aboard ''George H. W. Bush'' to the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean from February to November 2014. Following this deployment, VFA-87 converted to the F/A-18E Super Hornet.

====Syria====
{{Main article|Ja'Din shootdown incident}} 
VFA-87 made a single deployment aboard USS ''George H. W. Bush'' from January to August 2017. During this desployment, Lieutenant Commander Michael Tremel, flying a VFA-87 [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet|F/A-18E]] [[Ja'Din shootdown incident|shot down]] a Syrian [[Sukhoi Su-17|Su-22]] after multiple observed [[Rules of engagement|ROE]] violations on 18 June 2017. The [[Sukhoi Su-17|Su-22]] had been bombing US-backed forces fighting the Islamic State.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/07/31/report-navy-pilot-breaks-silence-shooting-down-syrian-fighter.html|title=Report: Navy Pilot Breaks Silence About Shooting Down Syrian Fighter|date=31 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.savetheroyalnavy.org/up-close-with-a-us-super-carrier-and-the-pilots-fresh-from-combat-operations/|title=Up close with a US super carrier and the pilots fresh from combat operations &#124; Navy Lookout}}</ref>

===2020s===
[[File:Boeing FA-18E Super Hornet of VFA-87 lands aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) on 25 March 2022 (220325-N-CO784-2240).JPG|thumb|F/A-18E of VFA-87 landing aboard ''Gerald R. Ford'' in March 2022.]]
After having been assigned to CVW-8 since 1988, VFA-87 was re-assigned to [[Carrier Air Wing 11]] in 2020. The squadron made two deployments aboard {{USS|Theodore Roosevelt|CVN-71|6}} to the Western Pacific from January and July 2020 and from December to May 2021. Following these deployments, the squadron returned to CVW-8. In 2021, CVW-8 was re-assigned to {{USS|Gerald R. Ford|CVN-78|6}}.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gonavy.jp/navy/sqn/VFA087.html|title=Strike Fighter Squadron 87 (VFA-87)|date=9 April 2022}}</ref>

==Notable squadron members==
*[[Dominic L. Pudwill Gorie]]
*[[Timothy J. Keating]]
*[[Patrick M. Walsh|Patrick Walsh]]
*[[Amanda Lee (pilot)|Amanda Lee]] -  first female [[F/A-18F]] Super Hornet pilot in the [[Blue Angels]]

==See also==
*[[Naval aviation]]
*[[United States Naval Aviator]]
*[[Modern US Navy carrier air operations]]
*[[List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons]]
*[[List of United States Navy aircraft designations (pre-1962)]] / [[List of US Naval aircraft]]

{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/vfa87 navy.mil]{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

{{US Navy navbox}}
{{United States Navy Aircraft Squadrons}}

[[Category:Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy]]