Subsequent aircraft included the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and the iconic Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which they flew until their downgrade to the F/A-18F Super Hornet.

In November 1965, VFA-213 joined Attack Carrier Air Wing 11 (CVW-11) and made 9 deployments to Vietnam and the Western Pacific aboard USS Kitty Hawk as follows:[1] In September 1976, VF-213 began the transition to the F-14A Tomcat.

In December 1981, VF-213 added a new mission as they began training with the Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System (TARPS) and in September 1982, VF-213 deployed aboard USS Enterprise.

During Indian Ocean operations, the squadron achieved a new milestone by flying the longest Tomcat flight from a carrier on a 1,775-mile (2,857 km) TARPS mission.

During this deployment, tensions between the U.S. and Libya escalated, necessitating the decision to move USS Enterprise through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea.

The ship transited the Strait of Gibraltar and around the Cape of Good Hope before continuing onto Perth, Australia and across the Pacific to their home port.

In December 1989, the squadron participated in Operation Classic Resolve on the Enterprise, providing support for the Philippine government during a coup attempt.

Kara Hultgreen, the first qualified female F-14 pilot in the US Navy, was assigned to VF-213, and on 25 October 1994, her F-14 crashed while on approach to USS Abraham Lincoln.

Two months into the deployment, VF-213 participated in Operation Desert Fox, which was the Navy's largest combat evolution since the Gulf War.

VF-213 was also the first F-14 unit to use its internal 20 mm cannon in combat during the Battle of Mazar e Sharif[12] VF-213 received the 2001 Commander Naval Air Pacific Fleet Battle "E", Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Safety "S", Clifton Award and the Commander Fighter Wing Atlantic Golden Wrench for their performance in 2001.

During the cruise, VF-213 and VF-31 received ROVER upgrades to their aircraft, enabling them to transmit real-time images from their LANTIRN sensor to ground operators.

[15] VFA-213, along with CVW-8 and USS Theodore Roosevelt, participated in Joint Task Force Exercise 08-4 Operation Brimstone off the coast of North Carolina between 21 and 31 July 2008.

The British carrier HMS Ark Royal, the amphibious assault ship Iwo Jima with associated units, the Brazilian Navy frigate Greenhalgh, and the French submarine Améthyste also participated in the event.

[19] On 27 January 2017, VFA-213 departed on a combat deployment in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), embarked on board USS George H. W. Bush.

In January 2018, VFA-213 participated in the initial flight deck certification for the US Navy's newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford.

In September 2018, VFA-213 attended the Naval Weapons Systems Evaluation Program (NWSEP) out of Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, with a five aircraft detachment.

A fictional depiction of VF-213 appears in the movie as the squadron of characters Tom "Iceman" Kazansky and Ron "Slider" Kerner (played by Val Kilmer and Rick Rossovich respectively).