VFA - 81 Strike Fighter Squadron 81 ( VFA - 81 ) , also known as the " Sunliners " , is a United States Navy F / A - 18E Super Hornet strike fighter squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana . They are a part of Carrier Air Wing Seventeen , their radio callsign is " Zapper " , and their tail code is " AA " . Their mission is to conduct prompt and sustained combat operations from the sea , putting fuzed ordinance on target , on time . Insignia and nickname . The squadron was originally called " Crusaders " and their first insignia was approved by Chief of Naval Operations on December 16 , 1955 . The original insignia was a black cougar on a light blue background . On 21 November 1963 , the squadron was renamed the " Sunliners " and a new insignia was approved consisting of a black background with the international orange " mach wave " design . They also adopted the motto " Anytime , Anyplace " at this time . When the squadron was redesignated VFA , a modification to the current design was made on March 30 , 1988 . History . 1950s . The " Sunliners " of VFA - 81 were originally commissioned as Attack Squadron SIXTY SIX ( VA - 66 ) on 1 July 1955 . On the same day , they were redesignated Fighter Squadron 81 ( VF - 81 ) , an all weather fighter interceptor squadron flying the Grumman F9F - 8B " Cougar " . Their first deployment was with CVG - 17 in late 1956 aboard the USS " Franklin D . Roosevelt " in response to the Suez Crisis . In 1958 VF - 81 made a deployment as part of " Air Task Group 181 ( ATG - 181 ) " aboard USS " Lake Champlain " to the Mediterranean Sea . In the next year VF - 81 went to sea with " ATG - 182 " to the North Atlantic aboard USS " Intrepid " . On 04 Mar 1959 VF - 81 was reequipped with the Douglas A4D - 2 " Skyhawk " and redesignated attack squadron VA - 81 on 1 July 1959 . 1960s . VA - 81 was assigned to CVG - 8 and made five deployments to the Mediterranean Sea aboard the aircraft carrier USS " Forrestal " between 1960 and 1966 . From October 1961 to February 1962 , a detachment of VA - 81 Skyhawks deployed to the North Atlantic embarked in USS " Essex " . The detachment was provided air cover for antisubmarine units embarked in " Essex " with their AIM - 9 Sidewinder missiles . The detachment was the first jet unit to function as part of an antisubmarine killer force . In April 1963 the squadron transitioned from the A - 4B ( A4D - 2 ) to the A - 4C " Skyhawk " . In 1966 and 1967 , VA - 81 was deployed with CVG - 8 to the Mediterranean , this time aboard USS " Shangri - La " . For the 1967 / 68 deployment aboard the same carrier , VA - 81 flew the A - 4C . In 1969 VA - 81 A - 4Cs made a single deployment to the Med aboard the USS " John F . Kennedy " as part of CVW - 1 , operating for a time off the coast of Libya following a coup that overthrew the Libyan monarchy on 1 September 1969 . 1970s . In February 1970 , the " Sunliners " won the Navy Battle " E " for East Coast A - 4 squadrons . In May 1970 , VA - 81 transitioned to the Vought A - 7E " Corsair II " and was reassigned to CVW - 17 . Between 1971 and 1982 VA - 81 made eight deployments to the 6th Fleet aboard USS " Forrestal " . In Dec 1972 , squadron ’ s A - 7Es conducted cross - deck operations with the British carrier HMS Ark Royal . From July to August 1974 , VA - 81 operated from USS Forrestal in the vicinity of Cyprus following a coup in that country and its invasion by Turkish forces . Surveillance and cover missions were flown by the squadron during the crisis . 1980s . VA - 81 embarked in " Forrestal " from May to June 1981 , operating in the eastern Mediterranean following Israeli reprisal raids against Syrian missile batteries located in southern Lebanon . In August 1981 , the squadron participated a Freedom of Navigation Exercise in the Gulf of Sidra . During this exercise on August 18 , two F - 14 Tomcats from USS Nimitz ( CVN - 68 ) shot down two Libyan SU - 22 Fitters . Tensions escalated , and VA - 81 flew reconnaissance missions over potentially hostile Libyan ships . Between 1984 and 1987 VA - 81 made three deployments with the " Saratoga " . On March 23 , 1986 , while operating off coast of Libya , aircraft from " Saratoga " , USS " Coral Sea " , and USS " America " crossed what Libyan leader Muammar al - Gaddafi had called the " Line of Death . " The next day , three U . S . Navy warships crossed the same 32° 30 ' North latitude line . Two hours later , Libyan forces fired SA - 5 " Gammon " surface - to - air missiles from the coastal town of Surt . The missiles missed their F - 14 Tomcat targets and fell harmlessly into the water . Later that afternoon , U . S . aircraft turned back two Libyan MiG - 25 fighter planes over the disputed Gulf of Sidra . In response a Grumman A - 6E " Intruder " attacked a Libyan missile patrol boat operating on the " Line of Death . " Later that night , VA - 81 aircraft acted as the decoy group for VA - 83 ’ s HARM strike against the Libyan missile radar site at Surt . At the conclusion , three Libyan patrol boats and a radar site were destroyed by Navy aircraft . On February 4 , 1988 , VA - 81 transitioned to the McDonnell Douglas F / A - 18C " Hornet " and was redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 81 ( VFA - 81 ) . 1990s . The squadron made three deployments with " Saratoga " between 1990 and 1994 . On its first cruise in the FA - 18 , VFA - 81 participated in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm . On January 17 , 1991 , LCDR Scott Speicher ' s F / A - 18C was shot down on the first night of the Persian Gulf War while flying a mission west of Baghdad . It is disputed whether he was shot down by a SAM or by a MiG - 25 . On the first day of the war the " Sunliners " scored the Navy ' s only two aerial victories over enemy fighters during the campaign by downing two Iraqi MiG - 21s . VFA - 81 returned to its homeport of NAS Cecil Field , Florida on 27 March 1991 , following the swift coalition victory . The squadron also participated in the last Mediterranean deployment of " Saratoga " , which was decommissioned in August 1994 . In 1996 VFA - 81 made a cruise with CVW - 17 aboard the USS " Enterprise " , followed by a deployment aboard the USS " Dwight D . Eisenhower " in 1998 . Following this cruise , the squadron shifted its homeport to NAS Oceana , Virginia due to the BRAC - mandated closure of NAS Cecil Field in 1999 . 2000s . In 2000 and 2002 VFA - 81 made two deployments aboard USS " George Washington " to the Mediterranean Sea and the Persian Gulf . In 2004 VA - 81 made a single deployment aboard the USS " John F . Kennedy " . In 2007 VFA - 81 was reassigned to CVW - 11 in the Pacific Fleet and deployed aboard USS " Nimitz " to the Western Pacific and the Persian Gulf . Its last deployment ended on June 3 , 2008 , and the squadron began transition training from the F / A - 18C Hornet to the F / A - 18E Super Hornet . In 2011 , the squadron was embarked with Carrier Air Wing 17 for a Western Pacific and Persian Gulf deployment aboard USS Carl Vinson ( CVN - 70 ) . In 2012 , the squadron completed a surge deployment with Carrier Air Wing 17 aboard the USS Carl Vinson .