Official VAQ-131 Lancers EA-18 Growler Tail Flash Patch — Electronic Attack Squadron 131 EA-18G Growler NAS Whidbey Island Embroidered Patch
The Navy's first electronic attack squadron — VAQ-131 Lancers, lighting up the spectrum since 1946.
Electronic Attack Squadron 131 (VAQ-131), the "Lancers," is a US Navy carrier-deployable electronic attack squadron based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington, currently flying the Boeing EA-18G Growler. The squadron's lineage traces back to October 1, 1946 when it was commissioned as Composite Squadron Five (VC-5), making the Lancers one of the longest-continuously-active naval aviation squadrons and the original tactical electronic warfare squadron in the US Navy. Across nearly eight decades the squadron has flown the JD-1 Invader, AJ-1 Savage, A-3 Skywarrior, EKA-3B Skywarrior tanker/jammer, and the EA-6A Electric Intruder — pioneering carrier-based airborne electronic warfare from the early Cold War through Vietnam — before transitioning to the EA-6B Prowler at NAS Whidbey Island in 1971 as the second Prowler squadron in the fleet. The Lancers flew the Prowler in combat across Vietnam, Lebanon, Libya (El Dorado Canyon), Operations Desert Storm, Deny Flight, Allied Force, Iraqi Freedom, and Enduring Freedom — supporting carrier air wings and Marine Corps EA-6B expeditionary squadrons across every theater. In 2014 VAQ-131 transitioned from the EA-6B Prowler to the EA-18G Growler and has continued deploying as the electronic attack squadron embedded with multiple carrier air wings. This tail-flash patch carries the squadron's distinctive medieval lance emblem.
Perfect For: VAQ-131 Lancers active-duty and veteran personnel, EA-18G Growler pilots and electronic warfare officers (EWO), NAS Whidbey Island and Oak Harbor residents, EA-6B Prowler heritage veterans, A-3 Skywarrior and EA-6A Electric Intruder community supporters, naval electronic warfare and electromagnetic spectrum operations enthusiasts, and Carrier Air Wing alumni.
Lancers — first into the spectrum since 1946.
