# VFA-106
**VFA-106** (Strike Fighter Squadron 106, nicknamed the "Gladiators") is a [United States Navy](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-navy) fleet replacement squadron stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, that trains Navy and Marine Corps aircrew to fly the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet before assignment to operational fleet squadrons. It was established on 27 April 1984 at NAS Cecil Field, Florida, flying the F/A-18 Hornet, and moved to NAS Oceana in the summer of 1999 after Cecil Field was closed under the Base Realignment and Closure process.[1](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/) • [2](https://uswarships.jounin.jp/vfa_vfa-106.htm) The squadron reports to [Commander](https://www.edgepedia.org/commander), Strike Fighter Wing, Atlantic, and carries the tail code AD.[3](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/vfa106/) • [4](https://d1dhn91mufybwl.cloudfront.net/downloads/pdfs/vtp2ctdy6z/vtp2ctdy6z.pdf?v=1753415091)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Established | 27 April 1984 at NAS Cecil Field, Florida, flying the F/A-18 Hornet[1](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/) |
| Home base | NAS Oceana, Virginia Beach, Virginia, since summer 1999[1](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/) |
| Role | East Coast fleet replacement squadron for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, training replacement aircrew, maintainers, and administrative professionals[1](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/) |
| Aircraft | F/A-18E and F/A-18F Super Hornet (single-seat and two-seat variants)[3](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/vfa106/) |
| Training pipeline | Classes of 10 to 15 newly winged aviators and Weapon Systems Officers begin a 10-month course roughly every 8 weeks, ending in day and night carrier qualification[1](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/) |
| Tail code | AD[4](https://d1dhn91mufybwl.cloudfront.net/downloads/pdfs/vtp2ctdy6z/vtp2ctdy6z.pdf?v=1753415091) |
| Insignia | Approved 26 May 1982[5](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/naval-aviation-history/insignias/navy-squadron-insignia/vfa-insignia/vfa-106.html) |
## Mission and training
As the East Coast fleet replacement squadron (FRS), VFA-106's primary mission is to train and prepare F/A-18E/F replacement aircrew, maintenance, and administrative professionals for fleet assignments in support of combat operations.[1](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/) A new class of between 10 and 15 newly winged Naval Aviators and Weapon Systems Officers (WSOs) begins the 10-month training course approximately every 8 weeks, learning the basics of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions and finishing with day and night carrier qualification before assignment to a fleet Super Hornet squadron.[1](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/) The syllabus concentrates on basic airmanship, formation flying, navigation, tactical formation, air-to-air refueling, and disciplined execution of carrier operations.[6](https://virtualcvw-17.squarespace.com/vfa-106-gladiators)
**Key West detachments.** Every six weeks, the squadron goes on a two-week training detachment to Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, bringing 18 aircraft (worth about $75 million each), 165 maintainers, and 40 aircrew, at a personnel cost of about $500,000 per detachment. The student class flies about 400 events there to satisfy the strike-fighter aviation syllabus.[7](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/february/automate-more-naval-aviation-scheduling)
The squadron also trains naval flight officers in the two-seat F/A-18F; after advanced training, Navy NFOs go to either VFA-106 in Virginia Beach or VFA-122 in Lemoore, California.[8](https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/training-nfo.asp) Under Marine Corps training directives, FA-18 fleet replacement training is provided at one of three designated FRSs: VMFAT-101, VFA-106, or [VFA-125](https://www.edgepedia.org/vfa-125).[9](https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/NAVMC_3500.50B_1.pdf) With the divestiture of VFA-106's legacy Hornet production in fiscal year 2018, VMFAT-101 became the Marine Corps' sole F/A-18 aircrew producer for Category I aviators, while VFA-106 retains a small cadre of Marine instructor pilots to support refresher training for aviators returning to the fleet.[10](https://www.aviation.marines.mil/Portals/11/Documents/2017%20Marine%20Aviation%20Plan.pdf?ver=2017-03-23-102943-260)
## History
The squadron was commissioned at NAS Cecil Field on 27 April 1984, flying the Navy's newest tactical aircraft, the F/A-18 Hornet, and moved to NAS Oceana in the summer of 1999.[1](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/) The first replacement pilot class arrived on 7 October 1985 to begin F/A-18 training.[11](https://www.skyhawk.org/article-unit/va106) The nickname Gladiators has been in use since 1984.[12](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/dictionary-of-american-naval-aviation-squadrons-volume-1/pdfs/vfa82-106.pdf)
The number 106 had been used before by attack squadron VA-106, which was disestablished on 7 November 1969. VFA-106 adopted the old insignia of VA-106 and had it officially approved, but it cannot trace its lineage and history back to VA-106; the current squadron's history begins with its 1984 establishment.[11](https://www.skyhawk.org/article-unit/va106) • [13](https://vs29.org/History/Lineages/Lineages.htm)
**Aircraft transitions.** The squadron received its first F/A-18A in February 1985, followed by the TF/A-18A in May 1986, the F/A-18B in October 1987, the F/A-18C in December 1987, and the F/A-18D.[11](https://www.skyhawk.org/article-unit/va106) It later transitioned to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, which it flies today.[3](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/vfa106/) In January 2020, the first F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to complete the Service Life Modification program, which extends service life from 6,000 to 7,500 flight hours, was released to VFA-106 fully mission capable.[14](https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/First-jet-undergo-Service-Life-Modification-returns-US-Navy/Thu-02062020-1047)
## Carrier qualification and fleet support
Carrier qualification is the culmination of the FRS syllabus. In 2020, [USS Gerald R. Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/uss-gerald-r-ford) (CVN 78), as the only aircraft carrier regularly available on the East Coast that year, qualified 84 pilots from VFA-106 and VAW-120, and FRS pilots complete two day touch-and-gos, ten day arrested landings, two night touch-and-gos, and six night arrested landings.[15](https://www.dvidshub.net/news/385028/gerald-r-ford-carrier-qualifications-support-f-18-pilot-production) The squadron also conducts carrier qualifications aboard other East Coast carriers such as USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).[16](https://www.dvidshub.net/video/974939/night-flight-ops-aboard-uss-george-hw-bush)
VFA-106 serves as model manager for the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet on the East Coast and has supported the Navy's flight demonstration squadron: in March 2018, unit evaluators from VFA-106 qualified the [Blue Angels](https://www.edgepedia.org/blue-angels)' NATOPS program as part of the team's annual readiness evaluation.[17](https://www.navy.mil/DesktopModules/ArticleCS/Print.aspx?Article=2247455&ModuleId=4021&PortalId=1)
## Rhino Demonstration Team
The squadron's Rhino Demonstration Team flies the F/A-18F Super Hornet in airshow displays as a collateral duty performed by squadron instructors; it is not a standing unit. Pilots generally spend one year with the team and must fly a minimum of 12 practice shows in a simulator and nine practice shows in the actual aircraft before being approved for public airshows.[18](https://www.nycaviation.com/2016/06/behind-scenes-u-s-navy-tacdemo-team/40689?feedsort=more) • [19](https://migflug.com/display-teams/rhino-demo-team/) The team is a regular feature of the NAS Oceana Air Show, appearing in the 2025 and 2026 show lineups alongside the Blue Angels and other demonstration teams.[20](https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article/4450332/the-story-of-america-told-by-those-who-defend-it-2026-nas-oceana-air-show-to-ce/)
## Scheduling innovation
VFA-106 became an early adopter of automated flight scheduling. Dissatisfied with the Navy's SHARP scheduling software, the squadron built an Excel-based tool called "Shell-It" for its [Key West](https://www.edgepedia.org/key-west) detachments, and later partnered with the U.S. [Naval Academy](https://www.edgepedia.org/naval-academy)'s Mathematics Department on a program called "Shelly," which was tested in Key West and produced schedules that beat the schedules officers' solutions by at least a 10 percent margin; it could write a more efficient flight schedule in 14 minutes than a four-person team of experienced fleet aviators could in eight hours.[7](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/february/automate-more-naval-aviation-scheduling)
## References
1. [Command History, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106 FRS, Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMSTRKFIGHTWINGLANT/Strike-Fighter-Squadron-VFA-106-FRS/Command-History/www.safehelpline.org/)
2. [VFA-106, uswarships.jounin.jp](https://uswarships.jounin.jp/vfa_vfa-106.htm)
3. [VFA 106 FRS, The Official Website of the Gladiators of VFA106](https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/vfa106/)
4. [U.S. Navy Aircraft Squadrons reference table](https://d1dhn91mufybwl.cloudfront.net/downloads/pdfs/vtp2ctdy6z/vtp2ctdy6z.pdf?v=1753415091)
5. [VFA-106 insignia, Naval History and Heritage Command](https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/naval-aviation-history/insignias/navy-squadron-insignia/vfa-insignia/vfa-106.html)
6. [VFA-106 Gladiators, Virtual Carrier Air Wing 17](https://virtualcvw-17.squarespace.com/vfa-106-gladiators)
7. [Aldrich, Ryan P. (February 2020). "Automate More of Naval Aviation Scheduling." Proceedings, Vol. 146/2/1,404](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/february/automate-more-naval-aviation-scheduling)
8. [Training Naval Flight Officers, Chief of Naval Air Training](https://www.cnatra.navy.mil/training-nfo.asp)
9. [NAVMC 3500.50B, Marine Corps](https://www.marines.mil/Portals/1/Publications/NAVMC_3500.50B_1.pdf)
10. [2015 Marine Corps Aviation Plan](https://www.aviation.marines.mil/Portals/11/Documents/2017%20Marine%20Aviation%20Plan.pdf?ver=2017-03-23-102943-260)
11. [VA-106, The Skyhawk Association](https://www.skyhawk.org/article-unit/va106)
12. [Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume I, VFA-82 to VFA-106](https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/histories/naval-aviation/dictionary-of-american-naval-aviation-squadrons-volume-1/pdfs/vfa82-106.pdf)
13. [Naval Aviation Squadron Lineages](https://vs29.org/History/Lineages/Lineages.htm)
14. [First jet to undergo Service Life Modification returns to U.S. Navy, NAVAIR (6 February 2020)](https://www.navair.navy.mil/news/First-jet-undergo-Service-Life-Modification-returns-US-Navy/Thu-02062020-1047)
15. [Gerald R. Ford Carrier Qualifications Support F/A-18 Pilot Production, DVIDS (14 December 2020)](https://www.dvidshub.net/news/385028/gerald-r-ford-carrier-qualifications-support-f-18-pilot-production)
16. [Night Flight Ops aboard USS George H.W. Bush, DVIDS (14 August 2025)](https://www.dvidshub.net/video/974939/night-flight-ops-aboard-uss-george-hw-bush)
17. [Blue Angels Smoke Unit Evaluation, Ready For Takeoff, U.S. Navy (6 March 2018)](https://www.navy.mil/DesktopModules/ArticleCS/Print.aspx?Article=2247455&ModuleId=4021&PortalId=1)
18. [Behind the Scenes with the U.S. Navy TACDEMO Team, NYCAviation (2016)](https://www.nycaviation.com/2016/06/behind-scenes-u-s-navy-tacdemo-team/40689?feedsort=more)
19. [US Navy Rhino Demo Team, MiGFlug](https://migflug.com/display-teams/rhino-demo-team/)
20. [2026 NAS Oceana Air Show announcement, U.S. Navy (2 April 2026)](https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/display-news/Article/4450332/the-story-of-america-told-by-those-who-defend-it-2026-nas-oceana-air-show-to-ce/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Military aviation › Naval aviation › Naval air units and formations › Naval aviation training and test/evaluation units*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license