***** No Drone Zone Info *****
Welcome to Naval Air Station Oceana
Our Mission:
• Enable the Navy’s Mission through alignment of all shore installation support to the Fleet, Fighter and Family
• Support Atlantic Fleet Strike/Fighter Assets
• Support Joint/Interagency Operations & Training
• Provide resources to train and conduct air, land and sea operations
With very limited exceptions, NAS Oceana is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support the flight operation requirements of aircraft assigned to Commander, Strike Fighter Wing Atlantic (CSFWL), Commander, Fleet Logistics Support Wing (CFLSW), and other joint and interagency aircraft.
Installation Information
Naval Air Station Oceana is the Navy’s East Coast Master Jet Base, home to F/A-18 Super Hornets. The primary mission of NAS Oceana is as a Shore-Based Readiness Integrator, providing the facilities, equipment and personnel to support shored-based readiness, total force readiness and maintain operational access of Oceana-based forces.
The base, including Dam Neck Annex and Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress, has approximately 10,500 active Navy personnel, about 10,000 family members and 4,500 civilian personnel, making NAS Oceana the second largest employer in Virginia Beach, after Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.
NAS Oceana’s flight line, Apollo Soucek Field, is home to 17 aviation squadrons. Sixteen squadrons consist of F/A-18 Super Hornets, which deploy on aircraft carriers into combat. Two squadrons are permanently based at Oceana, including the largest fleet replacement squadron, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, and the adversary training squadron, Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC) 12. Routinely, two-thirds of this complement is “working up” on aircraft carriers off the coast or deployed at NAS Fallon, Nevada, for live air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons training. Typically, a carrier air wing’s overseas deployment lasts six to seven months. One squadron at NAS Oceana, Fleet Logistics Squadron (VR) 56, the "Globemasters," features the C-40A Clipper.
Each year, the installation hosts the NAS Oceana Air Show, a free event designed to highlight military and civilian aviation to the public. Annually, over 250,000 people attend the NAS Oceana Air Show, making it the Navy’s largest public outreach event. NAS Oceana is proud to partner with local agencies from the city of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake to make the annual event safe and memorable for all who attend.
NAS Oceana also holds the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Lab Learning Day during the “practice day” of the annual Air Show. Thousands of 5th grade students from Virginia Beach City Public Schools and Chesapeake Public Schools take a field trip to the flight line to learn STEM concepts and see them immediately applied by witnessing the aerial performances.