Safety "S" (6) Battle "E" (4) Admiral Arthur W. Radford Award Prowler Squadron of the Year Award Golden Anchor Award (2) Silver Anchor Award Foreign Object Damage Excellence (2) [2]
Electronic Warfare Squadron 132 can trace its history back to Patrol Squadron 911 (VP-911, later VP-29), established in 1946.
VAH-2
In November 1955, VP-29 personnel formed the nucleus of the squadron Heavy Attack Squadron Two (VAH-2) "Royal Rampants" and transitioned to the A3D Skywarrior and changed its homeport the following year to NAS Whidbey Island.
During the Vietnam War detachments from VAH-2 were deployed on the following aircraft carriers operating on Yankee and Dixie Stations:[7]
5 August 1964 – 6 May 1965, Detachment M A-3Bs were embarked on USS Ranger
7 December 1964 – 1 November 1965, A-3Bs were embarked on USS Coral Sea
10 December 1965 – 25 August 1966, Detachment F A-3Bs were embarked on USS Ranger
29 July 1966 – 23 February 1967, Detachment A A-3Bs were embarked on USS Coral Sea
19 November 1966 – 6 July 1967, Detachment M A-3Bs were embarked on USS Enterprise
26 July 1967 – 6 April 1968, KA-3Bs were embarked on USS Coral Sea
4 November 1967 – 25 May 1968, Detachment 61 KA-3Bs were embarked on USS Ranger
3 January-18 July 1968, Detachment 65 KA-3Bs were embarked on USS Enterprise
29 May 1968 – 31 January 1969, Detachment 64 KA-3Bs were embarked on USS Constellation
VAQ-132
In November 1968, VAH-2 was redesignated as Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 132 (VAQ-132) and transitioned to the EKA-3B. In January 1971, they received the EA-6B Prowler and became the first operational squadron to transition to the new aircraft.[8]
On 7 November 2008, VAQ-132 held their ceremonial last flight in the Grumman EA-6B Prowler and began the transition to the brand-new, Boeing EA-18G Growler in February 2009 with flight certification in mid-2009. Initial operational capability (IOC) was achieved on 22 September 2009, making them the first operational EA-18G squadron.[9]
The United States Navy's new Boeing EA-18G Growler ( "Grizzly" ) was first used in combat during Operation Odyssey Dawn by supporting efforts to enforce a UN no-fly-zone over Libya.[11] The five EA-18Gs of VAQ-132 "Scorpions" were redeployed from Al' Asad Air Base, Iraq to Aviano Air Base, Italy to support Libya operations.[12]
References
^"History". www.airpac.navy.mil. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
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