VA-55 (Warhorses): A United States Navy attack squadron (the second to bear the designation) established on 7 October 1983 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, as part of Carrier Air Wing Thirteen (CVW-13). Nicknamed the “Warhorses,” it operated the A-6E Intruder and KA-6D tanker variants throughout its existence. The squadron participated in major operations including Operation Prairie Fire in the Gulf of Sidra (March 1986, where its aircraft damaged a Libyan Nanuchka II-class patrol boat with cluster bombs), Operation El Dorado Canyon (April 1986, striking Benina Airfield in Benghazi, Libya, destroying aircraft and facilities in retaliation for the Berlin discotheque bombing), and operations off the Lebanese coast (August-September 1989 aboard USS Coral Sea, supporting U.S. Embassy evacuation amid hostage crises). VA-55 was disestablished on 1 January 1991.
