Authentic US Navy VAQ-133 Wizards Commemorative Challenge Coin

Description

Officially Licensed US Navy VAQ-133 Wizards Coin — The First Wizards to Deploy With the Next-Generation Jammer

The Wizards don’t just jam the enemy. They make the enemy’s electronics disappear.

Electronic Attack Squadron 133 (VAQ-133) — the ‘Wizards’ — is one of the United States Navy’s premier electronic warfare squadrons, flying the EA-18G Growler out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington. The Wizards have a rich history that spans the evolution of carrier-based electronic warfare from the Vietnam era through the Global War on Terror and into the most advanced jamming operations in the world. VAQ-133 was established during the Cold War period and has deployed aboard multiple aircraft carriers, flying first the EA-6B Prowler and then transitioning to the EA-18G Growler. The Growler is the most advanced electronic warfare aircraft in any navy, capable of jamming enemy radar and communications, suppressing integrated air defense systems with AGM-88 HARM and AARGM missiles, and providing tactical electronic support to the carrier air wing and joint force. In late 2024, VAQ-133, deployed aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), made history by becoming the first squadron in the United States Navy to deploy with the ALQ-249 Next-Generation Jammer — the most significant upgrade to the Navy’s airborne electronic attack capability in decades. The Next-Generation Jammer replaces the legacy ALQ-99 jamming system that has been in service since the Vietnam War, providing dramatically increased power, bandwidth, and agility against modern and next-generation threats. During the same deployment, EA-18G Growlers from the Abraham Lincoln strike group scored the Growler’s first air-to-air kill by downing a Houthi drone and destroyed a Houthi Mi-24 Hind helicopter on the ground with an AARGM during operations in the Red Sea. This challenge coin honors the Wizards and their place at the cutting edge of electronic warfare.

Perfect For: VAQ-133 Wizards aircrew and maintainers, EA-18G Growler community members, electronic warfare officers, NAS Whidbey Island personnel, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) Sailors, and anyone who respects the squadron that brought the Next-Generation Jammer to the fleet.

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