Official VAQ-141 Shadowhawks EA-18G Growler anniversary commemorative patch.
Prowlers to Growlers — Shadowhawks in the AEA fight, since 1987.
Electronic Attack Squadron 141 (VAQ-141), the "Shadowhawks," is a U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack squadron forward-deployed to MCAS Iwakuni, Japan as part of Carrier Air Wing FIVE (CVW-5) aboard USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). The squadron was established in July 1987 at NAS Whidbey Island, Washington as the twelfth operational EA-6B Prowler squadron, was assigned to Carrier Air Wing EIGHT (CVW-8), and embarked on USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) for her maiden cruise to the Mediterranean in 1989. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, VAQ-141 was the first CVW-8 squadron to deliver ordnance — firing AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles on the very first night and rolling back the Iraqi integrated air defense system that gave the strike packages clear airspace. The Shadowhawks went on to fly continuous combat over the next twenty-one years across Provide Comfort, Deny Flight (Bosnia), Southern Watch, Allied Force (1999), Enduring Freedom (2001), and Iraqi Freedom (2003). VAQ-141 flew the EA-6B Prowler from 1987 to 2009, then transitioned to the EA-18G Growler — a Block II F/A-18F derivative carrying the ALQ-99/ALQ-249 jamming pods, ALQ-218 receiver suite, and AGM-88E AARGM. This anniversary commemorative patch celebrates the Shadowhawks' Growler era — the years in MCAS Iwakuni and CVW-5 carrying the EW mission for the only forward-deployed CSG in the Pacific.
Perfect For: VAQ-141 Shadowhawks active-duty and veteran personnel, EA-18G Growler and EA-6B Prowler pilots, NFOs, and aircrew, MCAS Iwakuni and CVW-5 personnel, USS Ronald Reagan Sailors, NAS Whidbey Island Prowler community alumni, and airborne electronic attack collectors.
Shadowhawks Growler Anniversary — Prowlers to Growlers, jamming on.
