About Us On September 1, 1950, with the dawn of the Jet Age, the Black Aces began their journey. Having been newly commissioned as an F2-H Banshee squadron, their first assignment was to patrol the seas of the Mediterranean against the rising Soviet threat. In December 2001, the squadron decommissioned their beloved Tomcats to become the first operational F/A-18F Super Hornet squadron, and officially adopting the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) moniker. The F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft we fly is the world's most advanced strike fighter. Designed to operate from a carrier, the Super Hornet is fully capable in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The Super Hornet is the second major model upgrade since the inception of the F/A-18 aircraft program highly capable across the full mission spectrum: air superiority, fighter escort, reconnaissance, aerial refueling, close air support, air defense suppression and day/night precision strike.