VF-2

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VF-2 was a United States Navy aircraft squadron, commonly known as the 'Bounty Hunters', that has since been re-designated VFA-2. It is currently assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

History

The VF-2 Bounty Hunters squadron patch

VF-2 was the second F-14 Tomcat squadron, created the fall of 1972 at what was then Naval Air Station Miramar, San Diego, California. Initially the squadron was deployed to the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and flew cover over Saigon during Operation Frequent Wind. LCDR Jay B. Yakeley of VF-2 was one half of the first F-14 crew to intercept a Tu-95 Bear in the Pacific. Later in the cruise VF-2 also became the first F-14 unit to intercept an IL-38. VF-2 returned to NAS Miramar on March 29, 1977. In the months after the return LCDR Yakeley become the first F-14 pilot to log 1000 hours on type. Then the Bounty Hunters delployed in the USS Ranger (CVA-61) during the Iran hostage crisis, through the 80s, and during Operation Desert Storm. They remained with that carrier until it was decommissioned in 1993. The squadron was then chosen to be one of the groups to be transitioned to the upgraded F-14D Super Tomcat and assigned to the USS Constellation (CV-64).

When on deployment to the Persian Gulf with USS Constellation on September 9th, 1999, VF-2 almost got its first air-to-air kill with the AIM-54 Phoenix. Two Iraqi MiG-23s were heading south into the southern No-Fly Zone from the Al Taqaddum air base, west of Baghdad. On its wing, the F-14 crew had an F/A-18 Hornet from VFA-151 that was to launch an AIM-7 Sparrow after the Phoenix missile was fired by the F-14D went into the ground, but the Iraqi jets turned around and headed back north once they had detected a Phoenix had been launched.

VF-2 took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom, during the first strikes on March 21st, 2003, VF-2 attacked the Iraqi Ministry of Information's Salman Pak radio relay transmitter facility at Al Hurriyah, southwest of central Baghdad with JDAM bombs. The Bounty Hunters also led the attack on Al Tagaddum air base several hours later. Another noteble mission involved TARPS equipped F-14Ds dropping four Mark 82 bombs on Saddam Husseins presidential yacht, the Al-Mansur (The Victor). The lead F-14D dropped bombs that hit the ship's bow and another struck the vessel just forward of amidships. The second F-14D struck the hull just above the waterline and the other disappeared amongst the yacht's superstructure. The bombs did not inflict sufficient damage to sink the ship, as they were not intended as anti-ship weapons, but the vessel was on fire. VF-2 flew 483 sorties and dropped 294 LGBs, JDAMs, and Mk 82s during the war.

In 2003 VF-2 was chosen to transition to the F/A-18F Super Hornet and subsequently changed their designation to VFA-2 and reassigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72).

References

[VF-2 History]
Tony Holmes (2005). US Navy F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Osprey Publishing Limited.

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