Strike Fighter Squadron 136, or VFA-136, known as the "Knighthawks," is a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron based out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore, California. They fly the F/A-18E Super Hornet and are currently assigned to Carrier Air Wing One (CVW-1) with the tail code AB. Their radio callsign is "Gunstar."

Squadron Identity

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VFA-136 was established on July 1, 1985, at NAS Lemoore, training under VFA-125. They got their first F/A-18A Hornet in January 1986, and shortly after moved to NAS Cecil Field, Florida.

Their first deployment came in September 1987 aboard USS Coral Sea with Carrier Air Wing Thirteen. A year later, they were assigned to USS Dwight D. Eisenhower with Carrier Air Wing Seven.

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During the Eisenhower's "Centennial Cruise" in 1990, the squadron trained with European allies. But things escalated quickly after Iraq invaded Kuwait. The Eisenhower was in the Red Sea within 36 hours to support Operation Desert Shield, making it the first carrier to run sustained operations there. After that deployment, they upgraded to the Night Attack F/A-18C, becoming the Navy’s first fully operational night-strike Hornet squadron.

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In 1991, they were back in the Gulf enforcing peace after Desert Storm. In 1992, they joined NATO's TEAMWORK '92, the biggest NATO exercise in over three years.

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In 1994, they deployed on USS George Washington's first cruise, taking part in D-Day's 50th anniversary (with President Clinton aboard) and flying missions over Bosnia and the Persian Gulf. They deployed again on the George Washington in 1996 for operations over Bosnia and in the Gulf.

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In 1998, they joined USS John C. Stennis for her first deployment—another round of Operation Southern Watch. The cruise wrapped up with the Stennis arriving at her new homeport in San Diego. That same year, VFA-136 moved to NAS Oceana, part of the Navy’s Base Realignment plan.

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In early 2000, they headed to the Mediterranean on USS Eisenhower, supporting peace efforts in the Balkans and flying over Iraq for Operation Southern Watch. The Knighthawks won the Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic Bombing Derby for the first time ever in 2010, and also took home the CVW-1 Top Hook Award.

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In January 2011, VFA-136 deployed aboard USS Enterprise, flying missions over Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation New Dawn). They also supported anti-piracy and special ops missions across multiple regions. They nailed their 10th straight Top Hook Award, with a 96% boarding rate during the cruise. They also took home another Bombing Derby trophy and won their first-ever Battle "E" (Battle Effectiveness Award) that same year.

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In summer 2016, the squadron relocated back to NAS Lemoore.

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They were set to deploy with USS Harry S. Truman in September 2019, but electrical issues delayed the ship’s departure until November. After nearly sailing home, the carrier was ordered to remain in the region due to rising tensions with Iran. Then COVID-19 hit, and the group ended up at sea for almost four months straight without a port call, finally returning to Norfolk in June 2020.

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In 2021, they joined Carrier Air Wing 7 aboard USS George H. W. Bush, then in 2023 were reassigned back to CVW-1 and USS Harry S. Truman.

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In late September 2024, VFA-136 deployed aboard the Truman once again. After joint exercises in Europe, the squadron was ordered to the Red Sea to protect international shipping and support Israel amid Houthi/Iranian proxy attacks from Yemen. They arrived in the CENTCOM area of operations in mid-December 2024, launching combat missions almost immediately.

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From late December 2024 through April 2025, VFA-136 carried out sustained airstrikes against Houthi and Iranian proxy targets in Yemen. After March 15, 2025, the pace and scale of missions ramped up significantly.

On April 28, 2025, one of their F/A-18Es was lost overboard during evasive maneuvers after a Houthi attack on the Truman.