Description

VF-103 Sluggers (1970) USS Saratoga F-4J Model

Fly with the VF-103 Sluggers (1970) USS Saratoga in this hand crafted F-4J Model. Each model is carved from wood and hand painted to provide a unique piece that will always be treasured.

• Length – 18 inches
• Made from Mahogany
• US Veteran Owned Business
• The product is not intended to be used by children 12 years and younger.

In the 1960s, VF-103 was equipped with the F8U-2 (later redesignated as the F-8C) and assigned to CVG-8, although it remained on the USS Forrestal. The squadron made three deployments to the Mediterranean in 1960, 1961, and 1964-1965. In 1964, it was equipped with the F-8E aircraft. The 1964-1965 deployment was significant as it was the first time that VF-103 flew both the F-8E and the new F-4B Phantom II, which it would continue to fly for 19 years. From 1965 to 1980, VF-103 was part of Carrier Air Wing 3 (CVW-3) and, from 1965 to 1994, was assigned to the USS Saratoga, serving as part of CVW-17 from 1984 onward. VF-103 made 15 deployments to the Mediterranean with the Saratoga and one deployment on the Forrestal in 1982.

In the 1970s, VF-103 transitioned from the F-4B to the F-4J in 1968 and then to the F-4S in 1981. During the Vietnam War, the USS Saratoga was deployed to the coast of Vietnam to participate in Operation Linebacker. In August 1972, VF-103 pilots Lieutenant Commander Robert Tucker and Lieutenant Junior Grade Stanley Edens shot down a MiG-21 aircraft at night using an AIM-7 Sparrow missile, marking the first night MiG kill using this missile.