About Us Strike Fighter Squadron EIGHT SIX traces its origins to Fighter Squadron 921, based at Naval Air Station St. Louis, Missouri, during the Korean War in February 1951. In July 2011, the Sidewinders left the swamps of the Low Country of South Carolina and moved across the country to the desert and farms at NAS Lemoore, CA and transitioned to the FA-18E Super Hornet. In 2023, the Sidewinders began the transition to the F-35C and now we are a fully operational F-35C Strike Fighter Squadron. The F-35C aircraft we fly is the world's most advanced strike fighter. Designed to operate from a carrier, the F-35C is fully capable in both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions.