British carrier , the amphibious assault ship with associated units, the Brazilian Navy frigate Greenhalgh, and the French submarine also participated in the event. On 8 September 2008, VFA-213 and the rest of CVW-8 deployed on board USS Theodore Roosevelt on a regularly scheduled deployment. On 4 October the Roosevelt Carrier Group arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, the first visit by a US aircraft carrier since 1967 and three days later the carrier left Cape Town. CVW-8 and CVN-71 supported Operation Enduring Freedom and flew more than 3,100 sorties and dropped more than 59,500 pounds of ordnance while providing close air support for ISAF-forces in Afghanistan. 2010s On 11 May 2011, the squadrons of CVW-8 embarked on 's maiden deployment, scheduled to conduct operations in the US 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operations. On 27 January 2017, VFA-213 departed on a combat deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), embarked on board USS George H. W. Bush. From 10 February 2017 to 9 March 2017, the command conducted OIR combat operations from the Mediterranean Sea. VFA-213 resumed combat operations on 23 March 2017 from the Persian Gulf until 22 May 2017. In January 2018, VFA-213 participated in the initial flight deck certification for the US Navy's newest aircraft carrier, . On 14 March 2018, a Super Hornet from VFA-213 crashed near Key West killing the pilot and naval flight officer. During April and May 2018, the squadrons of CVW-8 conducted joint operations with French Naval Forces out of NAS Oceana. Following those operations, the air wing and French aircraft embarked on USS George H. W. Bush, conducting strike missions. In September 2018, VFA-213 attended the Naval Weapons Systems Evaluation Program (NWSEP) out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, with a five aircraft detachment. During the detachment, VFA-213 employed 19 air-to-air missiles, including nine AIM-7 Sparrows, seven AIM-9M Sidewinders, one AIM-9X Sidewinder, and two AIM-9X Block II Sidewinders. Subsequently, the command earned the 2018 Commander, Naval Air Forces Atlantic Grand Slam award for demonstrating the highest capability to maintain and utilize air-to-air missile weapons systems. See also Naval aviation Modern United States Navy carrier air operations List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons Notes External links References Bibliography Tony Holmes (2005). US Navy F-14 Tomcat Units of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Osprey Publishing Limited. Tony Holmes (2008). US Navy F-14 Tomcat