US Navy VAW-120 Greyhawks Leather Patch
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120 (VAW-120) – "The Greyhawks"
The history of VAW-120 reaches back to 6 July 1948, when Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron Two (VAW-2) was commissioned at Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia. In those early Cold War years, the squadron operated a succession of early warning aircraft including the TBM Avenger, the AF Guardian, and the AD-5W Skyraider before receiving the WF-2 Tracer—affectionately known as the E-1B "Willie Fudd"—in 1961. By 1966, the squadron had received the first E-2A Hawkeye and was supplying airborne early warning detachments aboard ten Atlantic Fleet aircraft carriers while simultaneously training personnel. Growing to over 200 officers and 800 enlisted, VAW-12 was reorganized as Carrier Airborne Early Warning Wing Twelve on 1 April 1967, with RVAW-120 commissioned as the wing's dedicated training squadron that same year.
Redesignated VAW-120 in May 1983, the Greyhawks evolved into the Navy's sole Fleet Replacement Squadron for E-2 Hawkeye and C-2A Greyhound aircrew after the decommissioning of west coast counterpart VAW-110 in September 1994. The squadron has shepherded every major variant of the Hawkeye into fleet service—from the E-2B in 1970 and E-2C in 1973 through the E-2C Group II with APS-145 radar and GPS in 1994, to the revolutionary E-2D Advanced Hawkeye beginning in 2012. VAW-120 also created the Navy's first C-2A night carrier qualification program in 1985, received the first 8-bladed propeller C-2A upgrade in 2010, and responded to the September 11 attacks by launching homeland defense surveillance and communication relay missions along the East Coast. In 2019, the squadron took delivery of the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye with aerial refueling capability, achieving its 1,000th aerial refueling contact by April 2020. Based at NAS Norfolk, the Greyhawks continue their proud tradition as the sole source of trained E-2D and C-2A aircrew for the entire U.S. Navy fleet.
Perfect For: VAW-120 alumni and current Greyhawks, E-2 Hawkeye and C-2 Greyhound aircrew, Airborne Command & Control Wing personnel, NAS Norfolk community members, and carrier airborne early warning aviation collectors.
This leather patch honors the Navy's premier airborne early warning training squadron—an organization that has shaped every Hawkeye and Greyhound crew to serve aboard American aircraft carriers for over seven decades.
