The squadron, originally known as the Tigers, had its first insignia approved by Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) on 4 March 1944, consisting of a lion cub riding a torpedo.

As unit of Carrier Air Group 19 during World War II, it was a part of Admiral Bull Halsey's Naval Task Force.

The squadron participated in the Battle of Leyte Gulf striking the Japanese Northern Force composed primarily of aircraft carriers, resulting in 25 Navy Cross awards.

Squadron pilots also flew strikes against the Carolines, Philippines, Bonin Islands, Okinawa, Mindanao, Luzon, and Formosa while embarked on USS Lexington.In October 1944, squadron aircraft participated in strikes against the Central Japanese Task Force in the Sibuyan Sea, which included the super battleship Musashi.

On 5 November 1944, squadron aircraft participated in the sinking of Nachi, a Japanese heavy cruiser, which was making a sortie out of Manila Bay.

On 1 May 1951, the squadron's Skyraiders, making precise low level runs, delivered aerial torpedoes on the heavily defended and strategically positioned Hwacheon Dam in North Korea.

Destruction of the dam had been attempted by Air Force and Navy bombers, but was finally accomplished by VA-195, earning them the nickname the Dambusters.

As the Vietnam War flared in the fall of 1964, the squadron made their fourth consecutive deployments on USS Bon Homme Richard.

As a unit of Carrier Air Wing 11 on USS Kitty Hawk, the squadron deployed in late 1970, marking its fourth consecutive decade of involvement in foreign conflicts.

On 19 July 1972 the squadron delivered the first data link version of the television guided Walleye Glide Bomb into a cave storage area causing its complete destruction.

In 1983/84 VA-195 made its last deployment with the A-7 Corsair II, this time being reassigned to the Pacific Fleet CVW-9 aboard USS Ranger.

From July to August 1983, USS Ranger was ordered to operate off the coast of Nicaragua in response to an unstable situation in Central America.

Then, from October 1983 to January 1984, during a 122-day line period in the Indian Ocean, USS Ranger was extended on station in the Arabian Sea due to the Iranian threat to block oil exports from the Persian Gulf.VA-195 was redesignated Strike Fighter Squadron 195 (VFA-195) on 1 April 1985 and commenced transition to the F/A-18A Hornet.

Instead, VFA-195 was reassigned to CVW-5 aboard USS Midway CV-41, when CVW-5's fighter squadrons transitioned from the F-4S Phantom II and the A-7E Corsair to the F/A-18 Hornet.

VFA-195 joined the Forward Deployed Naval Forces in U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan with the first aircraft arriving at NAF Atsugi on 14 November 1986.

In 1987, the squadron completed two short Westpac cruises aboard USS Midway, from January to 20 March and 23 April to 13 July, with port calls in Subic Bay, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Sydney, Australia.

From November 1987 to February 1988, the squadron participated in Operation Earnest Will, the escorting of reflagged Kuwaiti tankers through the Persian Gulf.

Jeffery S. Ashby guided his Walleye II into the T-shaped building at Umm Qasr Naval Base.

Ashby was about to lead a major six to eight plane strike against a communications building in the northern end of Basra, Iraq.

Intelligence had been alerted by the presence of an Iraqi Super Frelon Helicopter fitted with Exocet ASM missiles.

At 7:00AM on 24 July 1998, VFA-195 and CVW-5 along with the Kitty Hawk departed Pearl Harbor for Japan while the Independence went into retirement in the Puget Sound, Washington State.

On 2 April 2003, NF-405, an F/A-18C (N) from VFA-195; was shot down by a Patriot PAC-2 SAM Site in a Friendly Fire incident while in support of Coalition Forces approaching Baghdad, killing the pilot, Lieutenant Nathan D.

[7][8][9] The squadron would go on to fly 278 combat sorties in support of Iraqi Freedom, delivered 179,000 pounds of precision guided munitions against military targets over the course of a single month.

During the Exercise, VFA-195 and CVW-5 worked alongside the John C. Stennis and CVW-14, taking part in JASEX 04, 600 nm east of Ioshima.

In March 2009, VFA-195 sent six of their aircraft along with VFA-27, who sent eight of theirs to take part in Cope Tiger 2009 in Thailand with the Thai Armed Forces, Singapore and USAF.