VFA-161, nicknamed the Chargers, was a Strike Fighter Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established at NAS Cecil Field as Fighter Squadron VF-161 on 1 September 1960. It moved to NAS Miramar on 19 September 1961, and to Naval Station Yokosuka, Japan. On 1 April 1986, the squadron was redesignated VFA-161. [1] .

In 1979, USS Midway, with VF-161 embarked, deployed to the Gulf of Aden to relieve USS Constellation and maintain a U.S. carrier presence following the outbreak of fighting between North and South Yemen and the fall of the Shah of Iran.

For RATING SHIRTS - Click on your Rating Abbreviation below:FIGHTER SQUADRON 161 (VF-161) Deployments & History

3 days ago · The VF-161 Charger at left delivers bombs on target. This alpha-strike role of the aircraft eventually led to the Navy re-designating Fighter Squadrons (VF) to Strike Fighter Squadrons (VFA).

VFA-161, nicknamed the Chargers, was a Strike Fighter Squadron of the U.S. Navy. It was established at NAS Cecil Field as Fighter Squadron VF-161 on 1 September 1960. It moved to NAS Miramar on 19 September 1961, and to Naval Station Yokosuka, Japan.

VF-161 moved to NAS Key West in 1961 to stand alert during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Later that year, the squadron was transferred again, this time to NAS Miramar, California and Carrier Air Wing Sixteen. They deployed twice onboard the USS Oriskany during 1962 and 1964.

Jan 12, 2014 · Forty-one years ago today, an Navy F-4B Phantom II from the “Chargers” of Fighter Squadron ONE SIX ONE (VF-161) scored the 197th and final US air-to-air victory of the Vietnam War.

VF-161 was based at Atsugi in Japan and deployed to the USS Midway throughout much of the 1970s. It operated all USN Phantom models, from F-4B, through F-4N and F-4J to F-4S. The unit's F-4Ns were replaced by F-4Js in 1977, with the F-4Ns going into storage, including this one on 20 October 1977.

Jan 5, 2020 · Fighter Squadron 161 (VF-161) was an aviation unit of the United States Navy. History: 16 September 1960: established as VF-161 "Chargers"; 1 June 1986: redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 161 (VFA-161); 1 April 1988: disestablished.

Equipped with the F3H-2 (F-3B) Demon fighter, VF-161 deployed twice to the Western Pacific on board the Oriskany, operating off the coast of South Vietnam during the 1963 coup in which President Ngo Dinh Diem was killed.