2010 was a year of significant accomplishment for the the squadron. VFA-87 participated in three embarked periods in preparation for the maiden deployment of {{USS|George H. W. Bush|CVN-77|6}}, including a deck qualification, Independent Steaming Exercise (ISE), and Tailored Ship's Training Assessment (TSTA). Additionally the "War Party" completed three command detachments; one to NAS Key West for the Air-to-Air Strike Fighter Advanced Readiness Program (SFARP) and two to NAS Fallon for Air-to-Ground SFARP.<ref>{{cite web|title=VFA-87 History|url=http://www.vfa87.navy.mil/|access-date=2013-08-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317174624/http://www.vfa87.navy.mil/|archive-date=2013-03-17|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In May 2011, VFA-87 departed on a deployment aboard USS ''George H. W. Bush''. While deployed the squadron flew combat missions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn flying over Afghanistan and Iraq respectively in support of combat troops on the ground.
