VFA - 2 Strike Fighter Squadron 2 ( VFA - 2 ) also known as the " Bounty Hunters " is a United States Navy F / A - 18F Super Hornet strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore , California . Their tail code is NE and their callsign is " Bullet " . The Bounty Hunters are attached to Carrier Air Wing 2 ( CVW - 2 ) , a composite unit made up of a wide array of aircraft performing a variety of combat and support missions that deploy aboard the . History . Four distinct squadrons have been designated VF - 2 . Officially , the US Navy does not recognize a direct lineage with disestablished squadrons if a new squadron is formed with the same designation . Often , the new squadron will assume the nickname , insignia , and traditions of the earlier squadrons . 1920s - 1930s . The First VF - 2 . The 1st VF - 2 was originally established as Combat Squadron Four on 23 Sep 1921 , home - based at Naval Air Station San Diego , California . The squadron was re - designated Fighter Squadron 2 on 1 Jul 1922 , flying the Vought VE - 7 biplane . The squadron , also known as the " Flying Chiefs , " operated from , the US Navy ' s 1st aircraft carrier . Between 1922 and 1925 , VF - 2 / VF - 2B experimented with carrier operations from " Langley " off the coast of California . Air activity was initially limited to scouting , but the Commander - in - Chief , US Fleet saw the potential of Naval Aviation and recommended that and be completed as soon as possible . Flying F6C Hawk s in 1926 , VF - 2B was the 1st squadron to demonstrate the concept of dive - bombing , carrying out mock - attacks on Pacific Fleet ships . Commanders of the surface ships had expected standard , low - altitude , level bombing , but were surprised when the VF - 2B aircraft attacked , unseen , from 12 , 000 feet making simulated drops before the ships defenses could be manned . On January 4 , 1927 , VF - 2B was re - designated VF - 6 . The squadron flew VE - 7s , followed , by the F6C and FC - 1 . In 1927 , the squadron was tasked to provide 1 aircraft to each fleet battleship , with the remaining planes shore - based at North Island . The squadron ' s FU - 1s were launched from the ship ' s catapults , landed as seaplanes and then hoisted back aboard by the ship ' s crane . In 1928 , the squadron transferred to " Langley " and was redesignated VF - 2B . Over the course of the next 15 years , the squadron was variously called VF - 6B , VF - 3 , and VF - 6 based on their ship assignment ( " B " appended meaning the squadron was attached to the Battle Fleet , and " S " indicating that it belonged to the Scouting Fleet ) . In 1937 , the last letter of Navy squadron designations were removed . VF - 6B made 2 " Langley " deployments in 1930 and 1931 flying F2B s . They later transitioned to Boeing F3B high altitude fighters . VF - 6 was disestablished on 1 Oct 1945 . The Second VF - 2 . The 2nd squadron to be designated VF - 2 was established on 1 Jan 1927 . Over the next 10 years , it was referred to as VF - 2B , BF - 2S , VF - 2B and VF - 2 . At the time of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor , VF - 2 was flying the Brewster Buffalo , but soon transitioned to the F4F Wildcat . The squadron ’ s 1st combat occurred during the 2 - day Battle of the Coral Sea , the world ’ s 1st engagement between aircraft carriers . On May 7 , 1942 , VF - 2 ' s commanding officer led the escort of " Lexington " s strike aircraft against the Japanese aircraft carrier Shōhō . VF - 2 claimed 6 confirmed aerial kills and 3 probable kills . The next day , Japanese carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku exchanged air strikes with the US force , and VF - 2 lost 5 aircraft while claiming 11 kills . " Lexington " succumbed to torpedo damage and was sunk . Without an aircraft carrier , VF - 2 was disestablished on July 1 , 1942 . 1940s - The Third VF - 2 . The 3rd distinct squadron to be designated VF - 2 was established on June 1 , 1943 , at Naval Air Station Atlantic City . VF - 2 , known now as the " Rippers , " became the 1st World War II fighting squadron to bear the same designation as a previous unit in the war . Several pilots came from VF - 6 and VF - 10 . The squadron initially deployed 8 FM - 1 s but soon received the F6F Hellcat . VF - 2 trained on the east - coast until October 1943 when the squadron headed west to San Francisco and then Hawaii . In Hawaii , VF - 2 participated in a Marine landing exercise and so impressed the influential " Butch " O ' Hare that he requested that VF - 2 replace VF - 6 in his Air Group aboard . A notable pilot in the squadron was fighter ace Arthur Van Haren , Jr . From November 1943 to January 1944 , VF - 2 saw action during the invasion of the Gilbert Islands , Makin Atoll and Tarawa Atoll . They also participated in raids against the Marshall Islands of Kwajalein , Ebeye and Roi - Namur . VF - 2 participated in O ' Hare - designed " bat teams " of 1 TBF Avenger and 2 Hellcats for night interceptions . In March 1944 , VF - 2 deployed aboard . From " Hornet " , VF - 2 participated in strikes against the Marianas on the afternoon June 11 , 1944 . Over 200 " Hellcats " were launched from American carriers from their targets of Guam and Rota ( island ) . VF - 2 claimed 23 victories during the attack over the Guam airfield , while squadron aircraft closer to " Hornet " destroyed 3 Mitsubishi G4M " Betty " medium bombers . A 2nd strike on Guam claimed another 10 Japanese aircraft . VF - 2 scored 37 victories and only lost 1 plane . The next day , VF - 2 attacked the Bonin Islands and Iwo Jima with intent to destroy Japanese aircraft . Only pilots which had not previously scored aerial kills were sent on this mission , claiming 17 kills . Between June 19 and June 20 , 1944 , VF - 2 was credited with 47 victories with only 1 airplane damaged beyond repair . On the afternoon of June 20 , the Japanese carriers were located approximately to the west . A strike was ordered with bombs and torpedoes . After the strike , only 6 VF - 2 aircraft returned to " Hornet " , the remaining having landed on other carriers . 5 aircraft were lost at sea . 5 days later , VF - 2 claimed 67 kills in 1 day during a sweep of Iwo Jima , losing only 1 Hellcat ( an additional one was damaged beyond repair ) . On September 22 , 1944 , the Rippers closed their victory log when " Spider " Webb downed an enemy aircraft over Manila . During the 1943 - 44 period , VF - 2 had conducted 184 strikes and 2050 sorties , destroying 50 , 000 tons of ships and 216 airborne airplanes and 245 airplanes on the ground . Losses totaled 3 airplanes in aerial combat and 4 to anti - aircraft fire . VF - 2 was disestablished on 9 Nov 1945 . The lead article in the 23 October 1944 edition of Life Magazine highlighted VF - 2 in a seven - page spread . There are pictures of 27 of the unit ' s Aces including Roy " Butch " Voris , later to become Blue Angel 1 in the original Blue Angels flight demonstration team , Connie Hargreaves , who became an Ace in a Day , and Wilbur " Spider " Webb , another Ace in a Day . 1970s – The current VF - 2 . Twenty - seven years after disestablishment , a new VF - 2 , now known as the " Bounty Hunters , " was established on October 14 , 1972 flying the F - 14A Tomcat . VF - 2 completed aircrew training and received its first Tomcats in July 1973 , attaining full strength of 12 F - 14As in the spring of 1974 . The " Bounty Hunters " was the first Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System ( TARPS ) unit for both CVW - 14 and later CVW - 2 . VF - 2 ' s initial deployment was in 1974 with her sister squadron VF - 1 aboard . The squadron flew over Saigon in support of Operation Frequent Wind , the evacuation of US personnel in April , 1975 . 1980s . VF - 2 was assigned to for the September 1980 deployment , 4 months of which were spent in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf during the Iran hostage crisis . They deployed aboard in 1984 and returned for multiple " Ranger " deployments throughout the ' 80 ' s . On June 2 , 1984 , VF - 2 became the first squadron to launch an F - 14 from an aircraft carrier while towing an air - to - air gunnery target . In 1987 , the squadron logged " Ranger " ’ s 260 , 000th landing . 1990s . The unit participated in Operation Desert Storm , flying over 500 combat mission from " Ranger " operating in the Persian Gulf . VF - 2 performed escort , reconnaissance and Combat Air Patrol ( CAP ) missions . After the 1992 - 1993 cruise , " Ranger " was decommissioned ( along with VF - 2 ’ s sister squadron VF - 1 ) , and VF - 2 was switched to the . At the same time , VF - 2 transitioned to the F - 14D Tomcat . Several months after the 1995 cruise , VF - 2 was awarded the battle " E " and relocated from NAS Miramar to NAS Oceana due to a Base Realignment and Closure ( BRAC ) decision to make Miramar a Marine Corps Air Station . In April 1996 , VF - 2 Tomcats were modified to carry the LANTIRN infrared targeting pod , giving them precision strike capabilities . During their 1999 cruise , VF - 2 supported Operation Southern Watch and on September 9 , attacked Surface - to - Air Missile sites and anti - aircraft guns around Basra . The same day , a VF - 2 Tomcat engaged 2 Iraqi MiG - 23 ’ s that were heading south into the No - Fly Zone from Al Taqaddum airbase , west of Baghdad with AIM - 54 Phoenix es . The missile did not score as the MiGs turned north once they detected the Phoenix launch . 2000s . In the summer of 2001 , VF - 2 deployed aboard in support of Operation Southern Watch . During the 2002 - 2003 deployment , the final cruise with the Tomcat , VF - 2 participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom flying a wide range of missions including , reconnaissance , Close Air Support , Combat Air Patrol and strike missions . On February 28 , 2003 , during Operation Southern Watch , a VF - 2 aircraft delivered the 1st Tomcat JDAM in combat . During this deployment , VF - 2 flew 483 sorties and dropped 294 Laser - guided bomb ' s / JDAM / MK - 82 bombs . On July 1 , 2003 , VF - 2 was redesignated VFA - 2 , and began transition to the F / A - 18F Super Hornet . On October 6 , 2003 , VFA - 2 took delivery of its first Super Hornet . VFA - 2 deployed to the Western Pacific aboard with CVW - 2 in October , 2004 . They returned in March 2005 after supporting Operation Unified Assistance which provided humanitarian support to Southeast Asia after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami . In 2006 , VFA - 2 and CVW - 2 embarked on a WESTPAC deployment . On March 13 , 2008 , VFA - 2 embarked with CVW - 2 aboard " Abraham Lincoln " on a 7 - month deployment to the Persian Gulf , returning home on October 8 . 2010s . Between 24 – 31 March 2006 , during Foal Eagle 2006 exercises , strike squadrons VFA - 2 , VFA - 34 , VFA - 137 , and VFA - 151 from Carrier Air Wing Two teamed with U . S . Air Force aircraft from the 18th Wing based at Kadena Air Base to provide combat air patrols and coordinated bombing runs via the exercise ’ s Combined Air Operations Center . On September 11 , 2010 , VFA - 2 deployed with CVW - 2 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln to the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf .