Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 117 (VAW-117) is an airborne early warning (AEW) squadron. Nicknamed “The Wallbangers” (formerly “The Nighthawks”), it currently (2020) flies the E-2C Hawkeye, the USN’s only carrier- based command and control platform. The squadron is based in NAS Point Mugu and deploys as part of Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) on board USS John C. Stennis. They were established in July 1974 and participated in the Persian Gulf operations in mid-1991. This is the current squadron patch for the VAW-117 “Wallbangers” and comes with velcro already attached.
