VAW - 77 Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 ( VAW - 77 ) " Nightwolves " was an aviation unit of the United States Navy Reserve based at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans from 1995 to 2013 . It comprised the U . S . Navy ' s only fully dedicated counter - narcotics squadron . VAW - 77 ' s beginnings go back to 1995 , when the U . S . Congress created the reserve squadron as a result of the United States escalating war on illegal drug trafficking . VAW - 77 received four specially modified E - 2C Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft optimized for counter - drug missions . As part of the Navy ' s post - Cold War role , VAW - 77 flight crews patrolled the waters of the Caribbean in joint missions with the United States Coast Guard and other drug enforcement agencies in search of illegal aircraft and ships . The officers and enlisted members of VAW - 77 were a mix of Selected Reservists and active Full Time Support ( FTS ) personnel . Because the squadron was a component of the Naval Reserve , a significant number of its men and women were Selected Reservists . They participated in the squadron ' s mission on a part - time basis because of their civilian commitments . The aircraft were serviced and maintained by Northrop Grumman civilian contractors who also deployed with the squadron . History . On 18 November 1995 Carrier Early Airborne Warning Squadron 77 ( VAW - 77 ) was commissioned , as a Reserve Squadron serving with the US Coast Guard and other Federal Agencies to fight the war on drugs , providing sophisticated air surveillance on traffic off the southern coast of the US . VAW - 77 " Night Wolves " work in tandem with Coast Guard and other federal law enforcement agencies to combine and coordinate operations of counter - narcotics forces . The E - 2C Hawkeye squadron deploys four to five times a year to bases near known drug trafficking routes to help identify suspected drug smugglers . The squadron spends approximately four to five months per year forward deployed to bases near illegal drug traffic lanes . Since commissioning , the Nightwolves have completed a number of sixty - day counter - drug deployments to the Caribbean Theater . VAW - 77 deployed primarily to Naval Station Roosevelt Roads , Puerto Rico until the Naval Station ceased active operations in October , 2003 prior to its inactivation on March 31 , 2004 . VAW - 77 continues to operate out of Howard AFB , Panama ; Patrick AFB , Florida ; Comalapa Air Force Base , El Salvador ; Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen , Aguadilla , Puerto Rico ; Manta Air Force Base located at the Eloy Alfaro International Airport in Manta , Ecuador ; and Hato International Airport , Curaçao , Netherlands Antilles . Squadron aircraft have been involved in over 120 high profile arrests and seizures of drug carrying container ships , high - speed watercraft , and light civilian aircraft . In fact , the mere presence of the Nightwolves in the Caribbean has caused drug traffickers to change their tactics in order to avoid detection by VAW - 77 aircraft . In August 2008 , VAW - 77 moved to its new home of NAS JRB New Orleans , LA in response to BRAC ' s decision to close Naval Air Station Atlanta . Because of the recent financial difficulties and spending cuts throughout the Department of Defense , the unit was recommended for decommission by the Secretary of the Navy . In February 2013 , the " Nightwolves " were formally disbanded , and it ' s crew & equipment were in the process of being redistributed throughout other naval squadrons . VAW - 77 was disestablished on 9 March 2013 . The squadron ' s six aircraft were transferred to other carrier airborne warning squadrons and the squadron members were transfer to various other Commander Naval Air Force Reserve ( CNAFR ) squadrons . Unit Citations . VAW - 77 was awarded the Joint Meritorious Unit Award for their exceptional performance with the Joint Interagency Task Force . The Task Force ' s teamwork contributed to the interdiction of more than $ 3 billion of contraband and supported the seizure of 72 metric tons of cocaine and 4 metric tons of marijuana , the confiscation of 23 vessels and aircraft involved in the movement of illegal drugs . The squadron ’ s other awards include a Joint Meritorious Unit Award , Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation , Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation , two Battle " E " awards , the Safety " S " and numerous Bravo Zulu ' s and unit citations . References . Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 ( VAW - 77 ) Global Security . org . Retrieved 2006 - 10 - 26