Argonauts embarked USS Carl Vinson

Early August 2021, F-35C Lightning II fighters from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 Argonauts ('NE-4xx') joined Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 aboard the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) on their first-ever forward deployment.

The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group (CVCSG), led by Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1, deployed from her homeport San Diego (CA) on 2 August 2021 in support of global maritime security operations. CVCSG will begin their deployment by taking part in Large Scale Exercise 2021 (LSE 2021).

Next to the F-35C, the deployment also marks the first time that a carrier strike group is deploying with the CMV-22B Osprey.

In August 2020, Scramble Magazine reported on CVW 2 starting training for the first F-35C operational deployment. At that time, the Vinson completed a seventeen-month maintenance period in which the ship was prepared for the US Navy’s first F-35C Lighting II deployment.

The following squadrons have been added to the wing:

VFA-2 Bounty Hunters ('NE-1xx') F/A-18F
VFA-113 Stingers ('NE-2xx') F/A-18E
VFA-192 Golden Dragons ('NE-3xx') F/A-18E
VFA-147 Argonauts ('NE-4xx') F-35C
VAQ-136 Gauntlets ('NE-5xx')EA-18G
VAW-113 Black Eagles ('NE-6xx') E-2D
HSC-4 Black Knights ('NE-61x') MH-60S
HSM-78 Blue Hawks ('NE-7xx') MH-60R
VRM-30 Titans CMV-22B

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Photos by US Navy