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Fighter Squadron 301 (VF-301) was an aviation unit of the Tomcat Squadrons: VF-301 History
/ref> In an early display of political correctness, it was changed to ''Blazing Infernos'' when the
The squadron first flew the F-8L Crusader and later transitioned to the F-4B Phantom in 1974. Their time with the B-models was short and VF-301 soon received the F-4N in February 1975. In 1980, VF-301 received the most advanced F-4 variant in the U.S. Navy, the F-4S. In October 1984, the unit transitioned to the F-14A Tomcat. The squadron made its first deployment with the F-14A on 21 April 1985, with five aircraft visiting MCAS Yuma, Arizona for air-to-air training against 
After 24 years of service, VF-301 was disestablished on 11 September 1994, the same time as its sister squadron VF-302, due to post-
VF-301 History
{{US Navy navbox Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy
United States Naval Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2004, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called reservists, are categorized as being in either the S ...
in service from 1970 to 1994 at Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar in southern California. The squadron's nickname was ''Devil's Disciples''./ref> In an early display of political correctness, it was changed to ''Blazing Infernos'' when the
Pope
The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...
visited Los Angeles in the late 1980s.
History
VF-301 was activated on 1 October 1970 and assigned to Carrier Air Wing Reserve 30 (CVWR-30) (tail code "ND") atNaval Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, a communi ...
, California (USA).
The squadron first flew the F-8L Crusader and later transitioned to the F-4B Phantom in 1974. Their time with the B-models was short and VF-301 soon received the F-4N in February 1975. In 1980, VF-301 received the most advanced F-4 variant in the U.S. Navy, the F-4S. In October 1984, the unit transitioned to the F-14A Tomcat. The squadron made its first deployment with the F-14A on 21 April 1985, with five aircraft visiting MCAS Yuma, Arizona for air-to-air training against U.S. Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...
F-21A ''Kfir'' fighters of Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 (VMFT-401
Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 (VMFT-401) is an adversary squadron of the United States Marine Corps Reserve, flying the F-5N Tiger II. Known as the "Snipers", the squadron is one of only two adversary squadrons in the Marine Corps, al ...
). At this time, the squadron was still transitioning to the F-14, and it was not until 4 August of the same year that the entire squadron was able to deploy to NAS Fallon, Nevada for air wing training.
The ''Devil's Disciples first carrier landings were on board the . Further carrier training was limited but did include time on board the between 10 and 22 August 1988. Later in its life, the squadron became the first Naval Air Reserve squadron to drop air-to-ground ordnance, specifically Mk 84 bombs and Mk 20 cluster munitions.
After 24 years of service, VF-301 was disestablished on 11 September 1994, the same time as its sister squadron VF-302, due to post-Cold War
The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...
budget cuts where the Navy opted to sacrifice Reserve F-14 squadrons to keep Regular Navy F-14 squadrons operating. Deactivation of the rest of the CVWR-30 was soon to follow. During these 24 years, VF-301 had acquired an outstanding safety record, flying 71,322.4 hours without a Class A mishap, setting a new record for Navy tactical jet squadrons.
See also
*History of the United States Navy
The history of the United States Navy divides into two major periods: the "Old Navy", a small but respected force of sailing ships that became notable for innovation in the use of ironclads during the American Civil War, and the "New Navy" ...
*List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
Most of the United States Navy aircraft Squadron (aviation), squadrons established since the Navy designated its first aircraft squadrons in 1919 no longer exist, having been "disestablished". Another 40 or so have been "deactivated", currently e ...
*List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
This is a list of active United States Navy aircraft squadrons. ''Deactivated'' or ''disestablished'' squadrons are listed in the list of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons.
The U.S. Navy uses the term "squadron" only to describe uni ...
References
External links
VF-301 History
{{US Navy navbox Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy