Two Navy squadrons have held the designation VF-143. The
first VF-143 was established on 20 July 1950 as VF-821 redesignated VF-143 on 4 February 1953 and disestablished on 1 April 1958. The second VF-143 was established in 1950, was eventually redesignated VFA-143, and is the subject of this article.
1950s aboard in 1952
VF-871, a reserve
F4U-4 Corsair squadron based at
NAS Alameda called to active duty on 20 July 1950. The squadron deployed twice during the
Korean War, flying from the aircraft carriers from 31 May to 25 August 1951 and from 16 June 1952 to 6 February 1953. On 4 February 1953, the squadron was redesignated
VF-123 and transitioned to the
F9F-2 Panther. In April 1958 they transitioned to the
F3H Demon and were redesignated
VF-53.
1960s in 1961 On 20 June 1962, the unit was redesignated
VF-143 and began its transition to the
F-4 Phantom II. They deployed seven times during the
Vietnam War. The squadron deployed on from 5 May 1964 to 1 February 1965. The squadron deployed on USS
Constellation again from 29 May 1968 to 31 January 1969.
F-4Js on , 1969/70 The squadron returned to NAS Miramar on 12 June 1973, and three months later made a final Phantom deployment to the Mediterranean. In 1974, VF-143 transitioned to the
F-14 Tomcat and then changed homeport to
NAS Oceana in 1976. VF-143 and its sister squadron
VF-142 were aboard for her maiden voyage in 1976.
1980s In 1980 VF-143 deployed to the
Indian Ocean in response to the
Iran–Iraq War, setting a Navy underway record of 153 days. VF-143 soon gained
Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) capability, and provided the first time imagery of the new and the new Soviet . On 5 August 1983, VF-143 intercepted five
Libyan Air Force MiG-23s some south of USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Mediterranean Sea. No weapons were fired during these encounters but the situation was described as "very tense". The squadron became the first to fly combat TARPS missions when they flew 45 combat reconnaissance sorties over
Lebanon in the autumn of 1983.
1990s VF-143 was one of the first squadrons to deploy with the F-14A(+) (later renamed F-14B), in March 1990 aboard USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 2005 VF-143 transitioned to the F/A-18E Super Hornet, and was designated
Strike Fighter Squadron 143 (VFA-143). The first deployment with the F/A-18E commenced in 2006 and ended in the spring of 2007. During the cruise aboard USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower, VFA-143 supported Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and
operations off the
Somali coast. On 21 February 2009 VFA-143 and CVW-7 embarked aboard USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower for a deployment supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf. On 30 July 2009, USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to Naval Station Norfolk after almost a six-month deployment.
2010s VFA-143 and the rest of CVW-7 embarked on board USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower on 2 January 2010 for a seven-month deployment in support of
5th and
6th Fleet operations. The "Pukin' Dogs" won the 2010
Wade McClusky Award, as most outstanding attack squadron in the US Navy, for its performance during this deployment. In June 2012, VFA-143 deployed again on board
Dwight D. Eisenhower for a nine-month deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. That deployment was cut short due to the requirement for entire Carrier Strike Group to surge.
Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to Naval Station Norfolk just prior Christmas in December 2012. The Air Wing re-embarked on
Dwight D. Eisenhower and got underway in February 2013 for a five-month surge deployment, again in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. After a two-year maintenance period, the "Pukin' Dogs" and the rest of CVW-7 embarked on board on 15 November 2015 for a seven-month deployment in support of
Operation Inherent Resolve. CVW-7 dropped a record breaking number and tonnage of ordnance on targets in the vicinity of
Fallujah,
Ramadi, and
Mosul Iraq. As well as support coalition forces in western Syria. VFA-143 dropped 422 precision guided weapons, totaling nearly 400,000 pounds of ordnance. After being extended for a month, VFA-143 returned to NAS Oceana Virginia on 12 July 2016. After 45 years with CVW-7, the squadron was transferred to
Carrier Air Wing One as of October 2023. In late September 2024, VFA-143 and their F/A-18Es departed the US as part of CVW-1 on a scheduled deployment aboard the Following multiple exercises with European militaries, VFA-143 and CVW-1 were ordered to operate in the Red Sea in defense of international shipping lanes and Israel against Houthi/Iran proxy military unit attacks from Yemen. VFA-143 and CVW-1 arrived in the CENTCOM AOR in mid December 2024 with combat operations against the Houthis/Iranians commencing upon arrival to the Red Sea. Airstrikes were undertaken against the Houthis/Iranians for much of the later half of December 2024 through April 2025. Strikes against the Houthis/Iranian proxy military units in Yemen increased significantly following March 15, 2025, with VFA-143 and CVW-1 conducting increased sorties on a larger set of enemy targets. ==See also==