home at NAS Lemoore, California, and began transitioning to the Navy's newest strike fighter, the F/A-18F Super Hornet. The squadron completed its first Super Hornet cruise in the summer of 2005 aboard , part of Carrier Air Wing 9 supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. On April 6, 2005, VFA-154 and VFA-147 dropped two 500-pound laser-guided bombs on enemy insurgent location east of Baghdad. As USS Carl Vinson entered its overhaul cycle, CVW-9 and VFA-154 deployed to . VFA-154 and CVW-9 embarked on a new deployment to the Persian Gulf in the spring of 2007 supporting Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom and a joint-military exercise off Guam called Valiant Shield. VFA-154 and CVW-9 deployed with USS John C. Stennis on a scheduled Western Pacific deployment on January 13, 2009. VFA-154 and CVW-9 returned to the United States on July 6 after participating in exercises with Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and annual exercises as Foal Eagle with the Republic of Korea and joint exercise Northern Edge 2009. In October 2009 VFA-154 transitioned to the new F/A-18F Block II Lot 30/31A AN/APG-79 AESA radar Rhino. In 2010 the squadron re-located from Carrier Air Wing Nine to Carrier Air Wing Fourteen aboard and departed on their 2011 deployment on February 2. In March VFA-154 found itself in the familiar waters of Northern Japan supporting the tsunami relief efforts as part of Operation Tomodachi. The squadron flew reconnaissance flights identifying groups of survivors later to be rescued by CVW-14 Helicopters. Early to mid 2011 took the squadron to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation New Dawn and Operation Enduring Freedom in Iraq and Afghanistan, respectively; as well as counter-piracy efforts throughout the Indian Ocean. The cruise was the final for CVW-14, bringing the squadron to CVW-11 aboard USS Nimitz in 2012. . See also List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons Modern United States Navy carrier air operations Naval aviation References CRASH: VF-154 PILOT'S WEBSITE* CRASH: FIRST VF-154 F8U-1 CARRIER OPERATIONS-WESPAC* VF-154 History VFA-154 Black Knights Black Knights of VF-154 Official Site Tony Holmes (2005). US Navy F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Osprey Publishing Limited. Strike fighter squadrons of the United States Navy