Markings for Eyes of the Fleet 1/72

COL A

BuNo. 163693, VAW-123 Screwtops, USS Enterprise (CVN-65), October 2005

Like its sister units, Airborne Command and Control Squadron 123 (VAW-123) was established on April 1, 1967, and was equipped with Grummans E-2 Hawkeye from the outset. Initially, these were E-2A, which were swapped for the E-2B version in 1969. In 1973, the E-2C version replaced the older variants and VAW-123 crews still fly them so far. The unit’s home base, known as Screwtops, is NAS Norfolk, but when the Atlantic Fleet’s aircraft carriers are at sea, they take off from their decks.

COL B

BuNo. 166503, VAW-120 Greyhawks, NAS Norfolk, United States, May 2010

The unit’s history dates back to July 6, 1948, when Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 2 (VAW-2) was established at NAS Norfolk, renamed VAW-12 in 1956. In July 1966, the unit received its first Hawkeye, version E-2A. VAW-12, which had 200 officers and 800 enlisted personnel, was reorganized on April 1, 1967, into an Air Wing with six operational squadrons, one of which was RVAW-120 (Replacement Airborne Early Warning Squadron), dedicated to crew training. In 1970, the unit received the E-2B version of the Hawkeye, and the E-2C version was delivered in 1973. In 1983, the unit was redesignated VAW-120. Currently, this unit uses E-2D and C-2A aircraft for training.

COL C

BuNo. 164483, VAW-124 Bear Aces, USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), May 2018

Airborne Command and Control Squadron 124 (VAW-124), also known by its nickname Bear Aces, was founded on September 1, 1967, at NAS Norfolk, which they still use today when not stationed aboard Atlantic Fleet aircraft carriers. From the beginning, Bear Aces were equipped with Grumman E-2 Hawkeye aircraft, from the A version to the most modern D version, which they fly since the summer of 2021.

COL D

BuNo. 161346, VAW-121 Bluetails, USS George Washington (CVN-73), February 2004

Airborne Command and Control Squadron 121 (VAW-121) was established on April 1, 1967, and was initially equipped with Grumman E-1B Tracers. The reason for their use, even at a time when the US Navy already had Hawkeyes in service, was the inability to use E-2s on older Essex-class aircraft carriers and on the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42). The unit was re-equipped with modern E-2Cs in July 1975. The Bluetails, as the unit is nicknamed, use NAS Norfolk as their home base and are deployed on Atlantic Fleet aircraft carriers. In 2014, the unit was re-equipped with the more modern E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.