page_title: VFA-86
section_title: 1970s
hierarchical_section_title: VFA-86 / History / 1970s
caption_attribution_description: A U.S. Navy LTV A-7C Corsair II from Attack Squadron VA-86 Sidewinders in flight, in 1974. VA-86 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8) aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CVA-66) for a deployment to the Mediterranean Sea from 3 January to 3 August 1974.
context_page_description: Strike Fighter Squadron 86 is a strike fighter squadron of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The squadron is nicknamed Sidewinders, leading to the call sign Winder. The unit currently flies the F/A-18E Super Hornet and is assigned to Carrier Air Wing Seven, tail code AG.
context_section_description: From 1971 to 1987, VA-86 was again assigned to CVW-8. In late spring of 1972, VA-86 was forced to transition to the A-7C due to unexpected problems with the A-7E's TF-41 engines. The squadron then deployed from June 1972 to March 1973 aboard USS America for a ten-month combat cruise, participating in several intense and lengthy bombing campaigns, including Operation Linebacker and Linebacker II in late-1972. The squadron remained on station until the Paris Peace Accords were signed in late January 1973. This was the squadron’s fourth combat deployment to Southeast Asia, more than any other East Coast attack squadron and resulted in the receipt of the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
  The squadron deployed aboard USS America in 1974 for 7 months duty in the Mediterranean and the North Sea. In 1975, the squadron transitioned to the A-7E and went aboard USS Nimitz for the ship's maiden voyage and made further deployments during the late 1970s and 1980s. In 1979, VA-86 planes appeared in the movie The Final Countdown, which was filmed aboard USS Nimitz at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida.
caption: VA-86 A-7C in 1974
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