USS Constellation CV-64 · America’s Flagship Open the Book
1994–95 Western Pacific & Persian Gulf Deployment 435 pages · searchable by name, division, squadron, and port
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VAQ-131 “Lancers” squadron insignia
Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) · CVW-2

VAQ-131 — “Lancers”

The air wing's electronic-attack squadron, flying the EA-6B Prowler.

Designation
VAQ-131
Aircraft
EA-6B Prowler
Role
Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ)

The Squadron

Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 131, the “Lancers,” flew the EA-6B Prowler as the electronic-attack squadron of Carrier Air Wing Two. Its mission was the unseen part of the air war: blinding and confusing enemy radars so that the strike aircraft could reach their targets and return.

Electronic attack was a specialized and essential trade within the air wing. The Lancers worked in support of nearly every mission the carrier launched, their Prowlers accompanying strike packages to suppress the radars and air defenses that threatened the rest of the force.

The Aircraft

The EA-6B Prowler was a four-seat aircraft built around the task of electronic warfare, carrying a pilot and three electronic countermeasures officers to operate its jamming systems. It was designed to detect, locate, and jam hostile radar, degrading an enemy’s ability to see incoming aircraft and to guide weapons against them.

By suppressing enemy air defenses, the Prowler protected the strikers it escorted, opening corridors through which they could operate with reduced risk. Its work rarely appeared in the headlines, yet few major strikes were flown without it, making electronic attack a quiet cornerstone of carrier aviation.

In the Cruise

Through the 1994–95 WESTPAC deployment, the electronic-attack squadron supported the air wing’s operations as Constellation moved from the Western Pacific into the Persian Gulf. Its Prowlers were positioned to screen the strike and patrol aircraft from radar-directed threats, jamming and confusing the sensors that might otherwise have tracked the rest of the force.

During Operation Southern Watch over southern Iraq, the squadron’s aircraft contributed to the suppression of enemy air defenses within the no-fly zone, helping to protect the coalition aircraft operating in the watched airspace. The electronic-warfare mission ran quietly in support of the air wing’s daily flying.

Crew Roster

Officers, aircrew, and maintainers of VAQ-131 “Lancers,” CVW-2, USS Constellation (CV-64), 1994–95 WESTPAC. Names transcribed from the original cruise book; each links to that Sailor’s page in the scanned book. See a misspelling or a shipmate we missed? Tell us and we’ll fix it.

See VAQ-131’s pages in the cruise book →

Squadron insignia: official U.S. Navy/Marine Corps insignia (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

Questions & Answers

What aircraft did VAQ-131 fly?

VAQ-131 flew the EA-6B Prowler, a four-seat carrier-based electronic-attack aircraft.

What does an electronic-attack squadron do?

It jams enemy radar and suppresses air defenses, protecting strike aircraft by degrading the enemy's ability to detect them and guide weapons against them.

How many crew did the EA-6B carry?

The Prowler carried a crew of four: one pilot and three electronic countermeasures officers.

Explore

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