VMFA ( AW ) - 533 Marine All - Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 533 ( VMFA ( AW ) - 533 ) is a United States Marine Corps F / A - 18 Hornet squadron . Also known as the " Hawks " , the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort , South Carolina and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 31 ( MAG - 31 ) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing ( 2nd MAW ) . Mission . Conduct joint / combined aviation operations in order to support a Marine Air Ground Task Force commander ' s Command and Control , intelligence , fires , maneuver , and force protection warfighting functions . History . World War II . On October 1 , 1943 , Marine Night Fighter Squadron 533 ( VMF ( N ) - 533 ) was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point , North Carolina . Originally known as " Black Mac ' s Killers " , after their first commanding officer Major Marion M . Magruder , they were one of three night fighter squadrons to be activated in the Marine Corps and were outfitted with the Grumman F6F - 5N Hellcat , equipped with the APS - 6 radar . The squadron left for the West Coast in early April and on April 16 , they embarked on board the headed for the South Pacific . In May 1944 , the squadron conducted their final training on the F6F aboard Marine Corps Air Station Ewa , Hawaii and then headed for Eniwetok . On June 12 they relieved VMF ( N ) - 532 and assumed night defense responsibilities for the area . On November 30 they moved to Engebi and continued operations . On May 7 , 1945 , with only two days notice , the squadron of 15 F6F Hellcat planes took off from Engebi with R5C escorts and flew to Saipan , a total of . This was the longest flight ever over water by a squadron in single engine military aircraft . Each plane had a 150 - gallon belly tank , and the squadron had to travel at the speed of the slowest plane The squadron moved to Yontan Airfield , Okinawa in May 1945 and finally settled on Ie Shima on June 15 , 1945 . Between May 14 and June 29 , 533 would claim shooting down 30 Japanese planes - by radar , at night - without one operational loss . This was a night fighter record for enemy planes shot down by a single squadron . They also had the first night fighter ace , Capt Robert Baird . The first F7F - 2N Tigercat for the squadron arrived on Okinawa the day before the end of the war so it did not see combat . In October 1945 , the squadron moved to Peiping , China for occupation duty and completed their transition to the new Tigercat . The Hawks soon moved to Hawaii before finally settling back in the U . S . at MCAS Cherry Point in January 1947 . 533 would spend the Korean War there as well , training Tigercat aircrew for night combat overseas . 1950s - 1960s . 533 entered the jet age in May 1953 with its acquisition of the F2H - 4 Banshee . They saw several carrier deployments in the ensuing years , followed by another transition to the F9F Cougar in 1957 . Yet another change was soon to follow as the squadron received the A4D Skyhawk in 1959 , and with it a redesignation to Marine Attack Squadron 533 ( VMA - 533 ) . The next change was to come in 1965 when the Hawks received the A - 6A Intruder , giving them an all - weather capability and the appropriate change in title , VMA ( AW ) - 533 . The Vietnam War . Soon after transitioning to the A - 6 , VMA ( AW ) 533 deployed to Chu Lai , Republic of Vietnam to support combat operations . They remained there from 1967 to 1969 , then redeploying to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni , Japan . All told , VMA ( AW ) - 533 accumulated over 10 , 000 combat sorties in these busy years , garnering them the Commandant ’ s Aviation Efficiency Trophy . In one noted incident , on October 25 , 1967 , three A - 6A Intruders from VMA ( AW ) - 533 attacked the Phuc Yen Airfield outside of Hanoi and the action was so intense all three pilots were awarded the Navy Cross . These were the only Navy Crosses awarded to fixed wing pilots during the Vietnam War . This would not be the last time that the Hawks would see combat over Southeast Asia . They returned to service over Vietnam in 1972 , deploying for a year to Royal Thai Air Base Nam Phong , Thailand . They were soon flying mission over Cambodia and Laos , as well . They returned to MCAS Iwakuni in March 1974 , and then to MCAS Cherry Point in November 1975 , where they received their first A - 6E the following year . The Gulf War & the 1990s . The squadron deployed to Bahrain in December 1990 for Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm . Following participation in those hostilities , VMA ( AW ) - 533 returned home after an “ around the world ” deployment that lasted eleven and a half months . September 1 , 1992 brought many changes to 533 , most notably a change to the new F / A - 18D Hornet , and with this its newest and current designation , and a move to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort , South Carolina . This made them the first all - weather fighter attack squadron in 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing . These techniques would soon be put to the test when VMFA ( AW ) - 533 was deployed to Aviano Air Base in July 1993 . They returned three times over the next five years , flying a wide variety of missions to support NATO operations . In 1999 , the squadron supported Operation Allied Force in Yugoslavia from Taszar Air Base Hungary and flew 111 combat sorties during the conflict . After the cease - fire of June 11 , 1999 , the Hawks flew an additional 82 combat sorties to ensure Serb compliance with the withdrawal from Kosovo . Global War on Terror . The squadron deployed to the Kuwait supporting Operation Southern Watch and Operation Iraqi Freedom , arriving at Al - Jaber Air Base on February 11 , 2003 . On March 20 , coalition forces began the ground offensive with support from the squadron ’ s Hornets . While operating around the clock , the squadron expended over 800 , 000 pounds of ordnance , flying 558 sorties and 1440 flight hours . For their support of the successful campaign against the Iraqi regime , the Hawks were awarded another Presidential Unit Citation . In the Spring of 2006 they redeployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . In February 2008 the squadron deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni , Japan as part of the Unit Deployment Program in which they were the first east coast squadron to deploy straight from MCAS Beaufort directly to Yechon Air Base , South Korea . In September 2008 the squadron returned to MCAS Beaufort . From July 2009 until January 2010 the squadron deployed to MCAS Iwakuni to take part in the Unit Deployment Program . During their time overseas they provided real - time imagery and reconnaissance during relief efforts in the Philippines following Typhoon Ketsana .