Strike Fighter Squadron 105 (VFA-105), known as the “Gunslingers,” is a U.S. Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. The squadron insignia, approved by the Chief of Naval Operations on 20 September 1968, features a classic Old West gun belt and six-shooter inspired by the TV series Have Gun – Will Travel, with a gold knight chess piece on the holster. During the Vietnam War, the squadron earned the informal nickname “105th Light Attack and Twilight Pursuit Squadron,” a humorous reference to their use of AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. This nickname gained broader use in the lead-up to the 1974–75 Mediterranean deployment and remains part of the unit’s identity as the “105th Strike Fighter and Twilight Pursuit Squadron.”

There have been two squadrons designated VA-105. The first existed from 1952 to 1959. The current squadron was established on 1 November 1967 as VA-105, later redesignated VFA-105. Though the Navy does not officially link disestablished and newly formed squadrons, VFA-105 has adopted the insignia and traditions of its predecessor.

VA-105 was formed at NAS Cecil Field and initially flew the A-7A Corsair II. After completing training in March 1968, the squadron deployed aboard USS Kitty Hawk for combat operations in the Gulf of Tonkin from January to October 1969. In response to the North Korean shootdown of a U.S. EC-121, Kitty Hawk maintained a deterrent presence off the Korean coast.

 

The squadron was active during the 1970 Jordan crisis, operating from USS Saratoga in the Mediterranean to support potential evacuations. VA-105 flew missions during Operation Linebacker I & II in 1972. It upgraded to the A-7E in 1973 and by the end of the decade had completed eight deployments, including two to the Western Pacific and six to the Mediterranean.

Following the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, VA-105 supported American evacuations from USS John F. Kennedy. In 1984, the squadron deployed to MCAS Iwakuni under Marine command—marking the first time since WWII that a Navy squadron operated under Marine Corps leadership. The 1980s included eight overseas deployments, notably an around-the-world cruise aboard USS Carl Vinson in 1983.

The squadron transitioned to the F/A-18C Hornet and was redesignated VFA-105 on 17 December 1990. It joined Carrier Air Wing Three aboard USS John F. Kennedy, deploying aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (1994) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (1996), and later aboard USS Enterprise in 1998 for Operations Southern Watch and Desert Fox.

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In November 2000, VFA-105 deployed aboard USS Harry S. Truman for its maiden cruise in support of Operation Southern Watch. During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, the squadron operated from the Mediterranean. In July 2006, VFA-105 became the first East Coast squadron to transition to the F/A-18E Super Hornet. In 2007, CDR Sara Joyner became the first woman to command an operational Navy strike fighter squadron.

 

In October 2024, after 32 years with Carrier Air Wing Three, the Gunslingers and VFA-83 transitioned to Carrier Air Wing Seven aboard USS George H.W. Bush.

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Our version of the US Navy Fighter Attack Squadron artwork, used in the F/A-18c Hornet livery: