They are attached to Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2), a composite unit made up of a wide array of aircraft performing a variety of combat and support missions that deploy aboard the Carl Vinson.

Deployed on USS Enterprise Westpac 1978 Ports of call: Pearl Harbor Hawaii, Subic Bay Philippines, Singapore, Perth Australia, Hong Kong VF-2 was assigned to USS Ranger for the September 1980 deployment, 4 months of which were spent in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf during the Iran hostage crisis.

On 21 March, at the conclusion of the Sea of Japan part of the exercise, K-314 surfaced directly in front of Kitty Hawk, and at 22:05 hrs, too dark and far too close for Kitty Hawk to see and avoid the resulting collision, the vessels came in contact, resulting in minor damage to the carrier, and significant damage to the Soviet submarine.

A piece of one of K-314's propellers was embedded in Kitty Hawk's bow, as were some chunks of the Soviet anechoic coating, from scraping along the side of the sub.

The "Grumman Air Wing" deployed to the Western Pacific/Indian Ocean in July 1987, flying many "Earnest Will" escort missions into the Persian Gulf.

On 19 October 1987, Ranger took part in Operation Nimble Archer, an attack on two Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf by US Navy forces.

In April 1996, VF-2's F-14Ds were modified to carry the LANTIRN infrared targeting pod, giving them precision strike capabilities.

During their 1999 cruise, VF-2 supported Operation Southern Watch and on 9 September, attacked Surface-to-Air Missile sites and anti-aircraft guns around Basra.

On 13 March 2008, VFA-2 embarked with CVW-2 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln on a 7-month deployment to the Persian Gulf, returning home on 8 October.