Strana 59
BuNo. 163693, VAW-123 Screwtops, USS Enterprise (CVN-65), October 2005
BuNo. 166503, VAW-120 Greyhawks, NAS Norfolk, United States, May 2010
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.
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.
KITS 08/2025
INFO Eduard
59
August 2025