Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4
| Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 | |
|---|---|
VMAQ-4 Insignia
|
|
| Active | November 7, 1981 - June 2, 2017 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | USMC |
| Type | Attack |
| Role | Electronic Warfare |
| Garrison/HQ | Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point |
| Nickname(s) | Seahawks |
| Tail Code | RM |
| Engagements |
Operation Deny Flight Operation Decisive Endeavor Operation Deliberate Guard Operation Allied Force Operation Southern Watch Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Inherent Resolve |
Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 (VMAQ-4) was a United States Marine Corps electronic warfare squadron consisting of EA-6B Prowler jets. The squadron was last based at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina and fell under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 14 (MAG-14) and the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW). The squadron was decommissioned on June 2, 2017 as the Marine Corps sundowns the EA-6B Prowler.
Support the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) Commander by conducting airborne electronic warfare, day or night, under all weather conditions during Expeditionary, Joint, or Combined operations.
On September 15, 1952, VMC-1 was established at Pohang-dong, Korea. While flying combat missions during the Korean War, VMC-1 flew the Douglas AD-4N Skyraider from 1952 to 1958. After flying the Skyraider, VMC-1 was combined with VMJ-1 on July 31, 1958 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California. This combination, along with the formation of VMCJ-2, provided the Marine Corps with squadrons that were dedicated to perform electronic warfare and photoreconnaissance missions.
During this new era, VMCJ-1 flew the first carrier-based all weather jet, the Douglas F3D-2Q Skynight. In 1962, the Navy and Marine Corps re-designated all of their aircraft, resulting in the plane’s new designation of EF-10 Skynight. VMCJ-1’s Skynights were the only jet-powered aircraft to fly combat missions in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. From April 14, 1964 to December 16, 1965 VMCJ-1 flew its Vought RF-8A Crusaders in photoreconnaissance missions from the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14), USS Constellation (CVA-64), USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) and the USS Oriskany (CVA-34). In April 1965 VMCJ-1 took its EF-10B aircraft from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan and joined Marine Aircraft Group 16 (MAG-16) at Danang to combat the increase of surface-to-air missiles in Vietnam. In July of that same year, six VMCJ-1 EF-10B’s supported the first strike against a surface-to-air missile site in history. In November 1966, the Grumman EA-6A Electric Intruder was introduced at Danang and flew combat missions as far north as Hanoi and Haiphong and eventually phased out the EF-10B Skynight. VMCJ-1 retired its RF-8A Crusaders and received McDonald-Douglas RF-4B Phantom IIs to accomplish the photoreconnaissance mission. VMCJ-2 and VMCJ-3 also rotated through Danang with the VMCJ squadrons flying electronic attack and photoreconnaissance missions for thousands of strike missions for the remainder of the Vietnam War.
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