Collection: VAQ-142 Gray Wolves

VAQ-142 was originally established on June 1, 1988, as the Navy's thirteenth operational EA-6B Prowler squadron. Initially known as the Grim Watchdogs, the squadron made its first deployment in 1989 before being disestablished in March 1991 as part of post-Cold War force reductions. VAQ-142 returned to service on April 3, 1997, as an expeditionary electronic attack squadron and was officially designated the Gray Wolves.

The Gray Wolves quickly established an extensive combat record with the EA-6B Prowler. VAQ-142 supported Southern Watch and Desert Fox before becoming the first Navy squadron to deploy entirely within Afghanistan in support of Enduring Freedom in 2003. The squadron later deployed to Iraq for Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, including the Navy's final expeditionary EA-6B deployment to Iraq. VAQ-142 returned to carrier operations in 2011 and completed another extended combat deployment supporting Enduring Freedom in 2013.

In 2014, the Gray Wolves began transitioning from the EA-6B Prowler to the EA-18G Growler and accepted their first Growlers in July 2015. Today, VAQ-142 continues to fly the EA-18G Growler, carrying forward a squadron history that spans carrier aviation, expeditionary operations, and decades of airborne electronic attack.