Four Super Hornets From USS Truman Supported By Two C-2A Greyhounds Deploy To Aviano Air Base

VFA-34 “Blue Blasters” CAG bird landing at Aviano AB on Feb. 7, 2022. (All images: Claudio Tramontin)

The Super Hornets belonging to CVW-1 will operate from Aviano Air Base for little less than two weeks.

Some interesting aircraft have arrived in northeastern Italy on Feb. 7, 2022: supported by two C-2A Greyhounds belonging to the VRC-40 “Rawhides”, four Super Hornets embarked aboard USS Truman (CVN-75) currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea, landed at Aviano Air Base.

The four Super Hornets represent four of the eight squadrons embarked with CVW-1: the VFA-11 Red Rippers equipped with F/A-18F; the VFA-211 “Checkmantes”, the VFA-34 “Blue Blasters” and the VFA-81 “Sunliners” both equipped with the single seater F/A-18E. These are planned to take part in a one or two-week deployment in Italy.

VFA-11 F/A-18F

As the photographs in this post (taken by our contributor Claudio Tramontin) show, among the aircraft currently at Aviano there’s also the F/A-18E 169641/AB-300, that is the colorful CAG bird of VFA-34.

Another shot of the VFA-34 CAG bird on final at Aviano AB.

Also deployed aboard USS Truman, although not taking part in the “trip” to Aviano, are the VAQ-137 “Rooks” flying the EA-18G Growler; the VAW-126 “Seahawks” flying the E-2D Hawkeye; the HSC-11 “Dragon Slayers” and the HSM-72 “Proud Warriors”, operating with the MH-60S and MH-60R respectively.

VFA-211 F/A-18E

VFA-81 F/A-18E

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) was ordered to stay in the Mediterranean Sea region rather than move on to the Middle East as initially planned amid raising tension with Russia for the situation in Ukraine. From Adriatic Sea, the carrier’s Air Wing has taken part in “Neptune Strike 2022” and in a three carrier exercise during which HSTCSG integrated with the French carrier Charles de Gaulle’s (R 91) Task Force 473 and Italian carrier ITS Cavour (C-550) strike groups.

VRC-40 C-2 Greyhound

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a freelance journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.

David Cenciotti