VA-304 (U.S. Navy)

Attack Squadron 304
VA-304 KA-6D Intruder at Naval Air Facility Andrews, 1990
Active	1 July 1970 - 31 December 1994
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy Reserve
Role	Attack aircraft
Part of	Inactive
Nickname(s)	Firebirds
Aircraft flown
Attack	A-4 Skyhawk A-7 Corsair II A-6E/KA-6D Intruder

VA-304, nicknamed the Firebirds, was an Attack Squadron of the U.S. Navy Reserve, based at NAS Alameda, California. It was established on 1 July 1970, and disestablished almost 25 years later, on 31 December 1994.^[1]

Operational history

• 1 July 1970: VA-304, a reserve squadron, established as part of a reorganization intended to increase the combat readiness of the Naval Air Reserve Force. Elements of reserve unit, VA-20G3, were used to form the newly established VA-304.
• May 1987: VA-304 operated from the Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, Alberta, while participating in exercise Rendezvous 87-Bold Warrior. The exercise was a mock full-scale battle between elements of the Canadian Armed Forces with VA-304 acting as an aggressor force.
• August 1988: VA-304 was the first reserve squadron to receive and operate the A-6E Intruder.^[1]

Aircraft Assignment

The squadron first received the following aircraft on the dates shown:^[1]

• A-4C Skyhawk – Jul 1970
• A-7A Corsair II – 06 Aug 1971
• A-7B Corsair II – Sep 1977
• A-7E Corsair II – Sep 1986
• KA-6D Intruder – 22 Jul 1988
• A-6E Intruder – 05 Aug 1988

See also

• Attack aircraft
• List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons
• History of the United States Navy

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons.

1. Grossnick, Roy A. (1995). "VA-304" (pdf). Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons. Naval Historical Center. 1. Washington, DC: Department of the Navy. p. 289.