Cold War years (1952–1991) CVW-9 was established as Carrier Air Group Nine (CVG-9) on 26 March 1952 (it was the third Carrier Air Group to carry the CVG-9 designation). It made its first deployment aboard in January 1953 participating in operations at the close of the
Korean War. From 1954 to 1958, CVG-9 made an Around the World Cruise aboard and two Western Pacific deployments aboard and . In February 1960, Carrier Air Group 9 embarked in for a seven-month Western Pacific cruise. The aircraft complement at the time included
F-8 Crusader,
F2H Banshee,
A-4 Skyhawk,
FJ-1 Fury and
AD-1 Skyraider. On 20 December 1963 the Navy redesignated all Carrier Air Groups to Carrier Air Wings and CVG-9 became Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9). Three additional deployments to Western Pacific aboard included two
Vietnam cruises. CVW-9 made seven subsequent Vietnam deployments aboard , and . Later, the Air Wing made peacetime cruises to the Western Pacific aboard USS
Constellation, USS
Ranger and between June 1974 and June 1987. CVW-9 was assigned to in July 1987, completing the first Nimitz/Nine Western Pacific cruise in February 1989. The Air Wing completed a West to East Coast transit aboard USS
Constellation in April 1990 before returning to to participate in post-
Desert Storm operations from March to August 1991.
1990s From February through August 1993, and again in November 1995 through May 1996, the Nimitz/Nine team completed deployments to the
Persian Gulf, supporting
United Nations sanctions against
Iraq in
Operation Southern Watch. During the May 1996 deployment, the Battle Group sortied from the Gulf to conduct contingency operation off the coast of
Taiwan. One month into their 1997/1998 around the world cruise, the Nimitz/Nine team responded to the
Secretary of Defense's order to proceed to the
Persian Gulf at best speed to reinforce the Southern "No Fly Zone" over Iraq and provide a presence amid the crisis which led to
Operation Desert Fox. CVW-9 ended its association with in March, 1998, and deployed in 2000 on as part of the
Carrier Group Seven.
2000s Following the
11 September attacks, the Stennis/Nine team provided air protection to the West Coast of the United States in support of
Operation Noble Eagle. Shortly after, the Stennis/Nine team deployed to
North Arabian Sea/Indian Ocean flying combat missions over
Afghanistan in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom before returning to homeport May 2002. CVW-9 made another deployment less than nine months after returning home in January 2003 to the Western Pacific aboard the . Operations included maritime patrol, security operations and participation with allied navies in joint operations and training. In 2005 CVW-9 made an Around the World Cruise aboard the as part of
Carrier Strike Group Three. During this cruise the air wing took part in combat operations during
Operation Iraqi Freedom and
Operation Enduring Freedom as well as Maritime Security Operations with allied forces in the Persian Gulf. CVW-9 squadrons embarked on board the
Carl Vinson for the deployment included
VMFA-323,
VFA-154,
VFA-147,
VFA-146,
VAQ-138,
VAW-112,
VS-33,
HS-8 and Detachment 4 of Fleet
VRC-40. During the deployment, the air wing logged 2,600 flight hours by its four F-18 strike-fighter squadrons. This overseas deployment marked the final overseas mission for Sea Control Squadron 33 (VS-33), the
Screwbirds. VAQ-136 joined CVW-9 on 1 June 2013 making them the first
EA-18G Growler squadron in the airwing's history. After a short stay, VAQ-136 was replaced by CVW-9's previous Electronic Attack Squadron, VAQ-133, after successful completion of the transition from EA-6B to EA-18G aircraft. From January through August 2016 CVW-9 executed a scheduled deployment to the Western Pacific, strengthening partnerships with allies in the region and executing freedom of navigation missions in the South China Sea. In October 2018 CVW-9 began an around the world cruise on board (CVN-74) as part of
Carrier Strike Group Three that would take them through operations in the Western Pacific, South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean. During this historic deployment CVW-9 squadrons conducted combat flights in support of Operations Inherent Resolve, Resolute Support and Freedom Sentinel over Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Carrier Air Wing NINE squadrons returned to NAS Lemoore, North Island, Point Mugu, and Whidbey Island in May 2019.
2020s In May 2020, the Air wing transferred to the . In early August 2024, the Air Wing was deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln in response to
heightened tensions between Iran and Israel. ==Current force==