The Blue Blasters carry a combat heritage dating to World War II. The squadron's history began with VF-20, established in 1943, whose aviators fought in the Pacific. Through subsequent redesignations, the squadron became VF-34 in 1950 and later VA-34. Flying the A-4 Skyhawk, the squadron adopted the Blue Blasters name, inspired by its blue tail colors and nuclear strike mission.
Over the decades, the Blue Blasters flew aircraft including the F9F Panther, F2H Banshee, F7U Cutlass, A-4 Skyhawk, and A-6 Intruder. Their combat history includes Vietnam, operations against Libya, Desert Shield, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. In 1986, VA-34 made history as the first squadron to employ the Harpoon missile in combat during operations against Libyan forces.
The Blue Blasters transitioned from the A-6E Intruder to the F/A-18C Hornet and were redesignated VFA-34 in 1996. After flying the final operational deployment of the Navy's legacy F/A-18C Hornet in 2018, VFA-34 transitioned to the F/A-18E Super Hornet in 2019. Today, the Blue Blasters continue to fly the single-seat F/A-18E, carrying forward decades of Naval Aviation history and combat service.
