VT-28 was initially established as Advanced Training Unit 611 (ATU-611).^[1] The Rangers began as an advanced multi-engine training squadron flying the S2F-1T, a training variant of the Grumman S-2 Tracker. On 1 May 1960 ATU-611 was redesignated VT-28 and in September 1962 its aircraft was redesignated the TS-2A in accordance with the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system.

After decades of use and the designation of thousands of Naval Aviators, the TS-2A was replaced with the T-44A Pegasus twin-engine turboprop trainer in 1979.^[2] VT-28 continued training advanced multi-engine aviators until 1990 when the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) reassigned the squadron to be responsible for training instructors and updating training syllabi for the T-44A and T-34C Turbo Mentor. Three years later, CNATRA again reassigned VT-28, this time to be the Navy's fifth primary training squadron flying the T-34C Turbo Mentor.^[3] In 2013 the squadron began its transition from the T-34C to the Navy's newest primary flight trainer, the Beechcraft T-6B Texan II

• S2F-1T / TS-2A Tracker - Advanced multi-engine (1960-1979)
• T-44A King Air - Advanced multi-engine (1979-1993)
• T-34C Turbo Mentor - Primary flight training (1990-2013)
• T-6B Texan II - Primary flight training (2013 to present)^[4]

• List of United States Navy aircraft squadrons
• List of inactive United States Navy aircraft squadrons