VX - 4 VX - 4 , Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Four , ( " AIRTEVRON FOUR " ) , commonly referred to by its nickname , " The Evaluators " ) was a United States Navy air test and evaluation squadron based at Naval Air Station Point Mugu , California . Their tail code was " XF , " and they flew the Grumman F - 14 Tomcat and the McDonnell Douglas F / A - 18 Hornet until their disestablishment in 1994 . History . VX - 4 ( Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 4 ) was established in 1950 at NAS Atlantic City as Air Development Squadron 4 , primarily for the development of airborne early warning system ( AWACS ) . The squadron moved to NAS Patuxent River in 1951 where it was disestablished later the same year due to the lapse of assigned projects . VX - 4 was reestablished in 1952 at NAS Point Mugu to conduct evaluations of air - launched guided missiles as assigned by the Commander , Operational Test and Evaluation Force . In 1960 the squadron began to include additional projects that were not associated with guided missiles . Projects such as the operational test and terrain clearance radar , Doppler navigation systems , and air - to - air distance measuring equipment were included in the squadron ' s tasks . VX - 4 flew aircraft that were currently in operational service with the US Navy , and began their life with the Chance Vought F7U Cutlass . Later they transitioned to the McDonnell Douglas F3D Skyknight , redesignated F - 10 . With the AIM - 7 Sparrow missile being used , the North American FJ Fury , Douglas A - 4 Skyhawk and the McDonnell Douglas F3H Demon replaced the Cutlass and the Skynight . When the AIM - 9 Sidewinder came about , the F - 8 Crusader was introduced to VX - 4 , and in the early 1960s the F - 4 Phantom II made its debut with VX - 4 . In the early 1970s the F - 14 A Tomcat arrived and when the F / A - 18 Hornet came to the fleet , it appeared with VX - 4 as well , plus newer variants of the F - 14 Tomcat . Operational tests and evaluation of airborne fighter weapons systems included the AIM - 7 Sparrow , AIM - 9 Sidewinder and the AIM - 54 Phoenix missiles as well as radar warning devices and self - protection jammers . January 1990 marked the end of the F - 4 Phantom after nearly 3 decades of service with VX - 4 and a few months later the F - 14D Super Tomcat arrived . Also the same year they supervised the first operational test of the F - 14D and the T - 45 Goshawk . Throughout the year VX - 4 developed tactics for the ALR - 67 radar warning receiver and contributed the system ’ s incorporation in the F - 14 . VX - 4 also began developing tactics for the employment of the AIM - 120 AMRAAM missile . After Iraq ' s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 and later the war in 1991 , VX - 4 was instrumental in the identification of deficiencies , testing and fielding of fixes to fighter weapons systems during Desert Shield , Desert Storm and subsequent operations in Southwest Asia . After Desert Storm commenced in January 1991 , VX - 4 continued to funnel the latest information to the fleet via messages and briefings presented by VX - 4 aircrews deployed aboard carriers in the Red Sea and northern Arabian Sea . After Desert Storm , the tempo at VX - 4 returned to a more normal pace . AMRAAM testing aboard F / A - 18 , which began in 1991 and continued throughout the year . Evaluation of the F - 14D , that had begun in 1990 , likewise continued . Other 1991 projects included testing the Swedish BOL chaff dispenser on the F - 14 , various Sidewinder , Sparrow and Phoenix missile evaluations and Infra - red search and track set tests on the F - 14D . ALR - 67 ( ECP - 510 ) testing in the F / A - 18 was one of the squadron ' s more significant projects in late 1991 and 1992 . AMRAAM testing was finally completed in early 1994 . By late 1993 , Hornet testing was winding down at VX - 4 and preparations were underway for the transfer of all F / A - 18 projects and F / A - 18C / D aircraft to VX - 5 at China Lake as an initial step in the consolidation of the two squadrons . The first Hornet departed for China Lake before the end of 1993 , with the remainder of the squadron ' s aircraft following in early 1994 . On 30 September 1994 , VX - 4 was disestablished and its assets were reassigned to VX - 9 ( Detachment Point Mugu ) Vampires .