VFA - 41 Strike Fighter Squadron 41 ( VFA - 41 ) also known as the " Black Aces " , is a United States Navy strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore , California ( USA ) . The " Black Aces " are an operational fleet squadron that flies the F / A - 18F Super Hornet . The Black Aces are attached to Carrier Air Wing 9 ( CVW - 9 ) , which are currently deployed aboard the . Their radio callsign is " Fast Eagle " and their tailcode is NG . History . 1940s . The “ Fighting Forty - One ” began on June 1 , 1945 when it was commissioned at NAS Chincoteague , Virginia , flying the Vought F4U - 4 Corsair . In July 1948 , the squadron was designated Fighter Squadron 3B ( VF - 3B ) , only to be re - designated VF - 41 in September of the same year . The squadron made early deployments to the Mediterranean aboard and . 1950s . After being decommissioned for a short period , the " Black Aces " were re - commissioned in 1950 at NAS Oceana . The " Black Aces " began flying the McDonnell F2H - 3 Banshee in 1953 , deploying to the Mediterranean and Far East aboard . In 1959 , the Banshee was replaced by the McDonnell F3H - 2 Demon . 1960s . In February 1962 , VF - 41 transitioned to the McDonnell F - 4B Phantom II and made a special deployment to Key West , Florida during the Cuban Missile Crisis . In May 1965 , the " Black Aces " deployed to the western Pacific for seven months of combat operations in Vietnam . They flew a wide range of missions : fighter cover , reconnaissance escort , flak suppression and day / night interdiction . 1970s . The next five deployments [ ( Flying the F - 4J , B , N ) ] were on USS Franklin D . Roosevelt ( CVA - 42 ) with CVW - 6 tail code AE ( awarded the Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation for period March 9 , 1972 through December 1 , 1972 ) . VF - 41 transitioned from the F - 4J to the F - 4B in 1973 and ( as an 18 aircraft squadron ) was on USS Franklin D . Roosevelt ( CVA - 42 ) during the Yom Kippur War providing escorts for Operation Nickel Grass . They were part of the peacekeeping force that helped keep the truce after the October War . In 1974 , VF - 41 transitioned from the F - 4B to the F - 4N and conducted their last cruise with the " Phantom " aboard " Roosevelt " in 1975 . During that year VF - 41 was awarded the COMNAVAIRLANT Safety “ S ” , which they also would receive in 1981 , 1989 and 1992 . In April 1976 VF - 41 transitioned to the Grumman F - 14 Tomcat and their first cruise began in December 1977 as part of CVW - 8 on the , the first of the Nimitz Class nuclear - powered aircraft carriers to join the Atlantic Fleet . More cruises followed in 1978 and 1979 , both to the Mediterranean Sea . 1980s . In 1980 , " Nimitz " and CVN - 68 took part in a round the Horn cruise . While on this cruise , the carrier served as the seaborne base in response to the Iran hostage crisis and the subsequent attempted rescue of the U . S . Embassy hostages from Iran . VF - 41 ( and the rest of the battle group ) spent 144 continuous days at sea , the longest period the squadron had spent at sea without break since World War II . During workups for the 1981 – 1982 Mediterranean cruise , an EA - 6B Prowler piloted by Marine Lieut . Steven E . White , crashed on the deck of the " Nimitz " . Upon crashing onto the deck , the EA - 6B Prowler rammed broadside into a " six pack " of fueled F - 14 Tomcats causing a fuel fire and ordnance to explode , including an AIM - 7 Sparrow missile . The incident , which caused only superficial damage to the " Nimitz " , resulted in three F - 14s destroyed , 45 injured sailors and fourteen casualties with VF - 41 losing three shipmates . While on deployment in the Mediterranean Sea on August 19 , 1981 , during a routine combat air patrol mission over the Gulf of Sidra , two Libyan Su - 22 “ Fitter ” aircraft were shot down by " Black Aces " aircraft . The incident marked the first Navy air combat confrontation since the Vietnam War and the first ever for the F - 14A Tomcat . It was the first time a variable wing geometry aircraft shot down another variable wing geometry aircraft . 1981 was also the first year in which the Black Aces won the COMNAVAIRLANT Battle Efficiency " E " , signifying them as the most efficient squadron in the Atlantic Fleet . VF - 41 was also awarded the Battle “ E ” in 1985 and 1989 . In November 1982 , the squadron embarked on an extended deployment off the coast of Beirut , Lebanon , in support of a multinational peacekeeping force . During 1985 , VF - 41 spent 68 days off the coast of Lebanon in response to the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 . If not that situation had been solved by other means , it ' s quite probable that VF - 41 ( and its sister squadron VF - 84 ) would have been employed in the same way as VF - 74 and VF - 103 during the Achille Lauro incident , to intercept the hijackers and force them down to be arrested . The 1986 cruise was the last with " Nimitz " ; it began in December and ended in June 1987 when " Nimitz " got to her new home in San Diego . In October that year , CVW - 8 was deployed with and the first cruise was in the North Atlantic for Exercise Teamwork ’ 88 which involved operations with the Royal Norwegian Air Force and the first Mediterranean deployment was in December . 1990s . On December 28 , 1990 , VF - 41 embarked on " Theodore Roosevelt " to support Operation Desert Shield , arriving in the Persian Gulf shortly after hostilities with Iraq began . By the end of the war , the squadron had amassed over 1 , 500 combat flight hours . After the war , the " Black Aces " remained in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea as part of a military presence enforcing the Operation Desert Storm cease fire until late April 1991 , when the squadron was tasked with providing air support for ground forces assisting Kurdish refugees in Northern Iraq during Operation Provide Comfort . VF - 41 was soon training for the F - 14 ’ s new role : air - to - ground bombing . In late 1991 , VF - 41 had flown over 46 , 500 hours without an accident over a period of 11 years . In 1995 VF - 84 was disestablished and VF - 41 picked up the TARPS mission . The disestablishment of VF - 84 was the only occasion in which a TARPS capable unit was disestablished instead of a non - TARPS capable unit . In early 1995 VF - 41 deployed on a six - month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea , Red Sea , Arabian Sea , Persian Gulf and the Adriatic Sea . During this cruise VF - 41 conducted combat operations in support of Operation Deliberate Force and Operation Deny Flight over Bosnia and Herzegovina and Operation Southern Watch over Iraq . On September 5 , 1995 , two VF - 41 F - 14A ’ s dropped laser - guided bombs for the first time in combat during Operation Deliberate Force . The target was an ammunition dump in eastern Bosnia . The bombs were guided by F / A - 18 s . VF - 41 adopted the slogan “ First To Fight , First To Strike ” in recognition of being the first F - 14 squadron to score air - to - air kills and drop bombs in combat . During this deployment VF - 41 logged over 600 combat hours and 530 sorties . In 1996 , VF - 14 joined VF - 41 in CVW - 8 and thus CVW - 8 was one of few air wings in the US Navy with two F - 14 squadrons , rather than one . CVW - 8 deployed onboard USS " John C . Stennis " in February 1996 , for a Joint Fleet Exercise . This was followed by deployed operations to the North Atlantic while embarked in USS " John F . Kennedy " with port calls to Dublin , Ireland and Portsmouth , England . In April 1997 , CVW - 8 embarked in USS " John F . Kennedy " for a Mediterranean Sea / Persian Gulf deployment . During this deployment , CVW - 8 participated in numerous exercises and detachments including Infinite Acclaim , Beacon Flash and Invitex . During Invitex the Air Wing completed over 350 sorties including 203 sorties in a single day of surge operations . This deployment also included operations over Bosnia - Herzegovina in support of Operation Deliberate Guard and over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch . In 1999 , USS " Theodore Roosevelt " departed for the Mediterranean and joined NATO forces for Operation Allied Force . VF - 41 ’ s first strike was against an ammunition storage facility in Pristina , Kosovo on April 6 . In July , " Theodore Roosevelt " was ordered to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch , where VF - 41 became the first squadron to expend ordnance in two theatres on a single deployment . VF - 41 logged over 1 , 100 combat hours during 384 sorties and dropped over 160 tons of laser - guided munitions with an unprecedented 85 % success rate in support of Operation Allied Force and Operation Southern Watch . The squadron won the RADM Wade McClusky Award in 1999 , which previously been given only to A - 6 and F / A - 18 units . This marked the first time an F - 14 squadron won the award . 2000s . In April 2001 , VF - 41 embarked on their final F - 14 cruise aboard , supporting Operation Southern Watch and Operation Enduring Freedom . As the carrier headed for home , they were given order to head to the Gulf of Oman after the September 11 , 2001 Attacks . During the build - up to war , VF - 41 conducted several TARPS missions near the Pakistani / Afghani - border . The USS " Enterprise " / CVW - 8 were the night carrier during OEF and thus didn ’ t see action until October 8 , when VF - 41 attacked several cave complexes . One of the first target hit was the Shindand airbase , in western Afghanistan , where the Taliban were storing aircraft , radar and vehicles . Upon return to the US in November , VF - 41 had dropped over 200 , 000 lbs of ordnance ( 202 laser - guided bombs ) . Shortly after their return in late 2001 , VF - 41 transitioned to the F / A - 18F Super Hornet and was redesignated VFA - 41 . On October 18 , 2002 four VFA - 41 aviators were killed when two F / A - 18Fs collided in mid - air off the coast of California . [ During Operation Iraqi Freedom , Two F / A - 18Es ( VFA - 14 ) and two F / A - 18Fs ( VFA - 41 ) were forward deployed to USS " Abraham Lincoln " in late March 2003 . These F / A - 18s were requested to boost the aerial refueling capabilities of CVW - 14 , as well as to provide additional qualified Forward Air Controller s . The F / A - 18s flew from " Nimitz " to " Lincoln " , a 2700 - mile trip . On April 6 , the Hornets returned to " Nimitz " . During the war VFA - 41 expended laser - guided bomb s , as well as JDAM and AGM - 65 Maverick missiles . In May 2005 VFA - 41 again deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . During this deployment the squadron was featured in the PBS documentary " " Carrier " " with a heavy focus on Commander David Fravor . In 2007 VFA - 41 deployed aboard " Nimitz " for a WESTPAC cruise and participated in Operation Valiant Shield , a joint - force exercise in the vicinity of Guam . On January 18 , 2008 , it was announced that CVW - 11 would deploy on January 24 to the Pacific for a surge - deployment aboard " Nimitz " . On February 13 , 2008 , it was reported that several Russia n Tu - 95 bombers were intercepted over the Pacific by F / A - 18s from " Nimitz " while on a surge deployment in the region . One Tu - 95 was escorted and flew directly over the carrier at 2000 feet , escorted by VFA - 41 Hornets . The Chief of Naval Operations , Adm . Gary Roughead called the incident “ benign ” and said : “ they came out to look . We joined up ( and ) flew with them until they went home ” . A total of four Russian bombers were involved ; two remained about 500 miles east of the carrier strike group , and another orbited about 50 miles away as one Tu - 95 did two low passes over the Nimitz carrier group . After their return to the United States , VFA - 41 began trading in their Lot 26 F / A - 18Fs for Lot 30 F / A - 18Fs which are fitted with AESA radar technology . During 2009 CVW - 11 and the Nimitz Strike Group conducted several training exercises off the coast of Southern California including composite unit training and joint task force training in anticipation for their 2009 – 2010 deployment . On July 28 it was reported that CVW - 11 and the Nimitz Strike Group was to depart for an eight - month deployment . 2010s . With two - thirds of the 2009 – 2010 deployment finished ( January 2010 ) , VFA - 41 had flown over 2 , 500 combat hours in 400 combat missions supporting Operation Enduring Freedom . VFA - 41 is planned to join CVW - 9 in 2010 and start workups for a WESTPAC deployment in 2011 . From July 27 , 2011 to February 26 , 2012 , CVW - 9 deployed onboard USS John C . Stennis to support operations in Iraq and Afghanistan , counter - piracy and maritime security operations . VFA - 41 supported Operation Enduring Freedom and the final combat missions of Operation New Dawn .