The Garudas were established in June 1969 at NAS Alameda, California, beginning their service flying the EA-3B Skywarrior. After a brief decommissioning in 1971, VAQ-134 was reactivated in 1972 as the Navy's third EA-6B Prowler squadron and relocated to NAS Whidbey Island, Washington. The squadron made its first Prowler deployment to the Western Pacific in 1973, beginning a long operational history in airborne electronic warfare.
Over the following decades, the Garudas flew the EA-6B in operations around the world. VAQ-134 supported Desert Shield and Desert Storm and later served as an expeditionary squadron, supporting operations including Northern Watch, Southern Watch, Allied Force, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. The squadron also achieved several milestones with the Prowler, including becoming the first carrier-deployed EA-6B squadron to launch a HARM missile and later flying the Navy's final EA-6B combat sortie in 2014.
VAQ-134 transitioned to the EA-18G Growler in 2016, bringing its decades of electronic attack experience to a new generation of aircraft. Today, the Garudas operate from NAS Whidbey Island as an expeditionary electronic attack squadron, deploying worldwide in support of U.S. and allied forces while carrying forward a squadron identity and electronic warfare tradition dating to 1969.
