The Mighty Shrikes were established as Fighter Squadron 94 (VF-94) on March 26, 1952, at NAS Alameda, California. The squadron began flying the F4U Corsair before quickly transitioning to jet aircraft. Redesignated VA-94 in 1958, the squadron flew the A-4 Skyhawk and later the A-7 Corsair II, completing seven combat deployments to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam era.
The Mighty Shrikes participated in significant operations including the mining of Haiphong Harbor, Operation Frequent Wind during the evacuation of Saigon, and Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval forces in 1988. In 1990, VA-94 transitioned to the F/A-18C Hornet and was redesignated VFA-94. The squadron later flew combat missions during Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Inherent Resolve.
VFA-94 flew its final F/A-18C Hornet sortie in 2015 before transitioning to the two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet. Beginning in 2023, the Mighty Shrikes transitioned again, this time to the Block III F/A-18E Super Hornet. Today, VFA-94 continues to fly the single-seat F/A-18E, carrying forward more than seven decades of Naval Aviation history and combat service.
