Official VAW-121 Bluetails E-2 Hawkeye Propagonia and Carrier Flag Patches - Airborne Command and Control Squadron 121 (VAW-121) Bluetails E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Embroidered Patch Set, NAS Norfolk.
Bluetails identity, carrier strike group awareness, and the eyes-of-the-fleet mission stitched into every thread of this official patch set.
VAW-121 was established on 1 April 1967 at NAS Norfolk and has served as one of the Navy's premier airborne early warning and command and control squadrons for more than five decades. The Bluetails callsign and the squadron's distinctive blue tail markings were adopted during the 1978 deployment aboard the newly commissioned USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, when the unit also became the first E-2C fleet squadron to operate from a carrier. Over the following decades the Bluetails built a record of operational excellence across the Mediterranean, North Atlantic, Persian Gulf, and Indian Ocean, earning multiple Battle Efficiency Awards and the RADM Frank Akers Award for Airborne Early Warning Excellence. The squadron transitioned to the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye in 2014 and in 2017 deployed aboard USS Nimitz in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, becoming the first E-2 squadron to conduct combat Defensive Counter-Air operations since 1991. Redesignated an Airborne Command and Control Squadron in 2020, VAW-121 has continued to expand its mission set, adding aerial refueling capability during its 2022 to 2023 deployment with USS George H.W. Bush in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of operations. The propagonia patch captures the squadron emblem and the carrier flag patch marks the deployed identity that goes with every strike group the Bluetails have supported.
Perfect for Navy veterans who served with VAW-121 or any E-2 Hawkeye community squadron, carrier strike group alumni, naval aviation collectors, NAS Norfolk sailors, CVW-17 and CVW-7 veterans, shadow box builders, cruise book displays, reunion gifts, and anyone preserving the story of airborne early warning and battle management in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. The set also makes a meaningful tribute for families and supporters who want a specific, researched piece tied to the crews and maintainers who keep the eyes of the fleet airborne on every deployment.
Bluetails heritage, from the first E-2C cat shot to the Advanced Hawkeye era, preserved in embroidered form.
