VAW-120

VAW-120
Unit name	Carrier Airborne Early Warning Weapons School
Native name	"The BTs"
Caption	E-2C Hawkeye over carrier
Dates	1 April 1967–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy
Type	Training Squadron
Role	Airborne Early Warning, Fleet Training
Garrison	Naval Station Norfolk
Nickname	"The Batmen"
Aircraft	Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye

VAW-120 is a United States Navy airborne early warning training squadron based at Naval Station Norfolk that provides advanced training for operators and pilots of carrier-based airborne early warning platforms. The squadron conducts fleet replacement training aboard the E-2 Hawkeye and interfaces with carrier strike group staffs, naval aviators, and allied air forces to sustain readiness across carrier air wings and joint operations. VAW-120's mission ties into doctrine, aviation tactics, and fleet integration across forward-deployed units and homeland defense commands.

History

Established in 1967, the squadron traces lineage to Cold War force expansion and continental air defense initiatives involving carriers, task forces, and Atlantic Fleet deployments. During the Vietnam War era, the unit’s predecessors supported operations connected to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, Operation Rolling Thunder, and carrier task force sorties associated with USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Forrestal (CV-59), and USS America (CV-66). In the 1970s and 1980s the squadron adapted to developments from events like the Yom Kippur War, Cold War naval encounters, and NATO exercises coordinated with Allied Command Atlantic, Royal Navy, and French Navy elements. The 1990s brought integration with carrier strike group restructuring post-Operation Desert Storm and interoperability with commands such as U.S. Central Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and multinational coalitions in Operation Provide Comfort. Post-2000, the unit updated training pipelines after lessons from Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and maritime security operations with partners including Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Navy, and Marinha do Brasil. Modernization efforts paralleled procurement and doctrine shifts involving organizations like Naval Air Systems Command, Chief of Naval Operations, and the Defense Acquisition University.

Mission and Role

The squadron’s core mission centers on fleet replacement training for pilots, naval flight officers, and maintenance personnel operating the E-2 Hawkeye to provide airborne early warning, command and control, and battle management. It supports carrier air wings tied to carriers such as USS Nimitz (CVN-68), USS George Washington (CVN-73), and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) and interfaces with strike group commanders, Carrier Strike Group Seven, and task forces engaged in carrier operations, anti-submarine warfare coordination with Submarine Force Atlantic (COMSUBLANT), and joint tasking from U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The squadron also liaises with allied training centers like Fleet Air Arm establishments and joint institutions including NATO Allied Command Transformation.

Organizational Structure

VAW-120 is organized into training departments, instructor cadres, and maintenance divisions aligned under Naval Air Force Atlantic administrative control. Its leadership follows Navy squadron command structures with a commanding officer, executive officer, operations officer, and maintenance officer coordinating with shore establishment entities such as Naval Aviation Schools Command and Fleet Readiness Centers. Instructor pilots and naval flight officers often rotate from fleet squadrons including Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 113, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 115, and reserve units, while maintenance personnel coordinate with Naval Air Depot functions and training commands such as Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training.

Aircraft and Equipment

The squadron primarily operates variants of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye series, reflecting avionics and radar upgrades driven by programs managed through Naval Air Systems Command and industry partners like Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies. Key systems include airborne early warning radar suites, tactical data link systems compatible with Link 16, airborne battle management consoles interoperable with Aegis Combat System platforms aboard Ticonderoga-class cruiser units and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer escorts, and mission planning systems aligned with Joint Tactical Information Distribution System. Maintenance and test equipment are supported by Fleet Logistics Center supply chains and technical directives from Chief of Naval Air Training-related authorities.

Deployments and Operations

Graduates from the squadron deploy across carrier air wings embarked on carriers operating in theaters administered by U.S. Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Sixth Fleet, and U.S. Seventh Fleet for operations including maritime security patrols, expeditionary strike missions, and coalition task force actions. Personnel trained here have participated in carrier deployments supporting Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and multinational exercises such as RIMPAC, BALTOPS, and Malabar. The squadron’s curriculum reflects operational lessons drawn from incidents like the Tanker War, fleet encounters in the Gulf of Aden, and stability missions coordinated with U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command, and partner navies.

Training and Tactics

Training focuses on airborne surveillance, command-and-control tactics, intercept control coordination with naval aviators from F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet communities, and integration with electronic warfare assets like EA-18G Growler squadrons. Tactical instruction includes radar employment, cooperative engagement capability procedures interfacing with Standard Missile-armed escorts, and joint operations doctrinal alignment with Joint Chiefs of Staff publications. The squadron uses synthetic training devices, live flight hours, and syllabus modules coordinated with institutions such as Naval Postgraduate School, U.S. Naval War College, and allied training centers to produce airborne early warning operators prepared for carrier strike group integration and multinational coalition operations.

Category:United States Navy aircraft squadrons