June 2002, VF-103 and its carrier deployed to the North Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf and participated in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Southern Watch. VF-103 supported Coalition forces in Afghanistan flying Close Air Support, Forward Air Controller and TARPS missions. VF-103 was already on their way home by the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in early 2003. VF-103 returned to the Persian Gulf for its final Tomcat cruise with on 10 July 2004 and ten days later the squadron bombed an insurgent position. The unit participated in Operation Phantom Fury in October 2004 to provide aerial support over Fallujah for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force and Iraqi Army soldiers. During one mission an F-14 from VF-103 provided laser designation for an AH-1W Super Cobra helicopter's AGM-114 Hellfire missile to destroy a building where insurgents had taken cover. This operation had never previously been attempted with a Hellfire, but the missile successfully hit the building, neutralizing the enemy fire that the US troops were receiving. The F-14 crew was ordered to two drop additional GBU-12 laser-guided bombs on the building, leveling the structure. During another mission, air support was requested for Marines fighting on the ground. An F-14 from VF-103 provided close air support and suffered a ruptured hydraulic line. The F-14 declared an in flight emergency and landed without incident at Al Asad Air Base. Repairs took a few days on the base as the starboard engine had to be removed and later the crew flew the F-14 back to the John F. Kennedy. After a last deployment USS John F. Kennedy with CVW-17 and returning to NAS Oceana in December 2004, VF-103 retired their F-14B Tomcats and began transition to the F/A-18F Super Hornet and transfer to Carrier Air Wing Seven (CVW-7). Following their transition to the F/A-18F, the squadron was officially re-designated as VFA-103 in February 2005. The first deployment with the F/A-18F commenced in 2006 and ended in the spring of 2007. During the cruise with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, VFA-103 and VFA-143 supported Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and operations off the Somali coast, and combined with VFA-131 and VFA-83, they dropped 140 precision guided weapons and performed nearly 70 strafing runs. For their outstanding performance on this deployment, VFA-103 was awarded the AIRLANT Battle "E" for both 2006 & 2007, as well as the Wade McClusky Award as the best Attack Squadron in