United States Marine Corps Aviation
United States Marine Corps Aviation dates its birth to 22 May 1912, when First Lieutenant Alfred Cunningham reported for flight training, and has spent more than a century organised around one idea — that its aircraft exist to support the Marines on the ground — from the first dive-bombing in Nicaragua and the Cactus Air Force at Guadalcanal to the F-35B, the MV-22 and, in 2026, the retirement of the last Harrier.
The Marine Corps Aviation story: Ocotal, the Cactus Air Force and the last Harrier
1912–1941: one lieutenant, a borrowed seaplane and the small wars
Marine aviation began with one officer. First Lieutenant Alfred A. Cunningham reported to the Naval Aviation Camp at Annapolis “for duty in connection with aviation” on 22 May 1912, the date the Corps still keeps as its aviation birthday, and soloed at Marblehead, Massachusetts, on 20 August. By the Armistice it had 282 officers and 2,180 enlisted men in aviation, with a company in the Azores and the 1st Marine Aviation Force bombing for the Northern Bombing Group in Flanders. Between the wars the small wars taught the lesson that shaped everything after. Marine aviators in Haiti developed diving attacks, and on 16 July 1927 at Ocotal in Nicaragua five DH-4s under Major Ross Rowell broke a Sandinista assault on a Marine garrison in what Wikipedia, following Marine histories, calls the first dive-bombing attack in support of ground troops. In 1920 Cunningham put the doctrine in a sentence: aviation was useful only in so far as it helped the troops on the ground.
1941–1945: Wake, Midway and the Cactus Air Force
On 7 December 1941 Marine aviation had 13 flying squadrons and 230 aircraft. Its war started badly. At Wake, VMF-211 lost seven of its twelve Wildcats on the ground on the first day and fought on with the rest; Captain Henry Elrod became the first Marine airman of the war to receive the Medal of Honor. At Midway in June 1942, VMF-221’s Buffaloes and Wildcats were cut to pieces and VMSB-241 lost 16 dive-bombers, among them Major Lofton Henderson, whose name went to the airfield on Guadalcanal. There, from 20 August 1942, the Cactus Air Force of 18 Wildcats and 12 Dauntlesses held the island’s sky and sea approaches through the autumn and claimed 268 Japanese aircraft between 3 September and 4 November. By 1945 the arm had five wings and 145 flying squadrons; its pilots were credited with 2,355 Japanese aircraft for 573 of their own lost in air combat, with 120 aces and 11 Medals of Honor.
1947–1975: helicopters, jets, Korea and Vietnam
Demobilisation took the active force from 103 squadrons in August 1945 to 21 in June 1948, but the Corps used the lean years to invent something. HMX-1, commissioned at Quantico on 1 December 1947, tested the idea of landing troops by helicopter from ships, and in Korea VMO-6 flew the first Marine helicopter combat missions at the Pusan Perimeter in August 1950. VMF-311 took Panther jets into combat that December. 1st Marine Aircraft Wing flew 127,496 sorties in Korea, more than 40,000 of them close air support, and its helicopters carried out more than 9,800 wounded. In Vietnam the Marines came first by helicopter, HMM-362 to the Mekong Delta in April 1962, and left the same way, when HMM-164 lifted the last people off the Saigon embassy in April 1975. Between those dates jets flew from Chu Lai and Da Nang; Wikipedia’s tally of combat losses is 193 fixed-wing aircraft and 270 helicopters.
1975–2011: Harriers, Hornets and the desert wars
The Corps then made its most distinctive choice: a jump jet. The AV-8A entered service in 1971 and the AV-8B reached operational capability with VMA-331 in January 1985, giving the Marines fighters that could fly from amphibious ships and rough strips near the front. The F/A-18 followed, and when Iraq invaded Kuwait the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing sent more than 40 squadrons to the Gulf, flew over 18,000 sorties and lost five Harriers and two pilots to Iraqi missiles. A Marine rescue force from USS Kearsarge recovered the downed Air Force pilot Scott O’Grady in Bosnia in 1995; Marine Hornets flew from Hungary over Kosovo in 1999. In November 2001 Marine KC-130s and helicopters put Task Force 58 into Camp Rhino, deep in southern Afghanistan, and in 2003 the wing went into Iraq with 435 aircraft. The MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor went to war in Iraq in 2007.
2012–2026: the F-35, Force Design and the end of the Harrier
The post-2011 years brought both the newest and the oldest. On 14 September 2012 Taliban attackers at Camp Bastion destroyed six Harriers of VMA-211 and killed two Marines, among them the squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Raible. The F-35B reached initial operational capability with VMFA-121 in July 2015, and on 27 September 2018 an F-35B from USS Essex flew the first American combat strike by any F-35. The Corps also bought the carrier F-35C, first flown by VMFA-314 in 2020. In March 2020 General David Berger’s Force Design 2030 cut each F-35 squadron to ten aircraft and removed tiltrotor, heavy-lift and attack-helicopter squadrons to pay for drones, tankers and anti-ship missiles, over the public objection of retired generals. The last Harrier squadron, VMA-223, came home from its final deployment on 20 May 2026, and the AV-8B’s sundown was marked at Cherry Point on 3 June 2026.
What Marine aviation is for, and where the arguments are
Marine aviation describes its job in six functions: assault support, anti-air warfare, close air support, electronic warfare, control of aircraft and missiles, and aerial reconnaissance. What makes it different from the Navy’s air arm, with which it shares training, aircraft and money, is that it fights as the air element of a Marine air-ground task force and goes to sea on amphibious ships as often as on carriers. The good is real: Marine pilots know the infantry they support, and the Corps has repeatedly been first to field new ideas, from vertical envelopment to the tiltrotor. The arguments are real too: the Osprey’s safety record, the cost of keeping a separate tactical jet force, and whether Force Design traded too much aviation for a Pacific island war that has not come. In 2026 the force has gone fully to the F-35 in all but a few Hornet squadrons, and its F-35s have flown in the war with Iran.
The United States Marine Corps Aviation in numbers
Service
- Name
- United States Marine Corps AviationThe current English Wikipedia title. There is no separate legal service: aviation is one element of the Marine Corps, run from Headquarters Marine Corps by the Deputy Commandant for Aviation
- Founded
- 22 May 1912The day First Lieutenant Alfred Cunningham reported for flight training at Annapolis, kept as the aviation birthday. His first solo was on 20 August 1912; the Aviation Company was formed on 17 February 1917
- Part of
- United States Marine CorpsWithin the Department of the Navy. Marines train with the Navy, wear naval aviator wings and share many aircraft types with Navy squadrons, including on carriers
- Headquarters
- Deputy Commandant for Aviation, the PentagonOffice at 3000 Marine Corps Pentagon. The aviation post at headquarters dates from 1919
- Deputy Commandant for Aviation
- Lt. Gen. William H. SwanSince 2 October 2025, succeeding Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering
- Air wings
- Four Marine Aircraft Wings1st MAW (Okinawa), 2nd MAW (Cherry Point), 3rd MAW (Miramar) and the reserve 4th MAW. Each sits under a Marine Expeditionary Force or Marine Forces Reserve
Strength
- Fighter and attack aircraft
-
- F-35B Lightning II — about 112
- F-35C Lightning II — about 45
- F/A-18C/D Hornet — three or four squadrons left
- F-5N/F Tiger II (adversary) — about 12
No official type count was reachable for 2026: World Air Forces 2023 counted 127 F-35s and 138 Hornets at the end of 2022; Wikipedia’s undated list gives 112 F-35B and 45 F-35C. The last AV-8B squadron retired its jets in June 2026
- Assault support
-
- MV-22B Osprey — about 289
- CH-53E Super Stallion — 133–140
- CH-53K King Stallion — 9–11 counted, more delivered since
- UH-1Y Venom — about 160
End-2022 figures from World Air Forces 2023; CH-53K deliveries continue toward a planned 200
- Attack helicopters
- AH-1Z Viper — 159–189World Air Forces 2023 gives 159; Wikipedia’s undated list gives 189. The difference is not explained
- Tankers and transports
-
- KC-130J Super Hercules — 74 delivered
- UC-12 Huron, UC-35D Citation, C-40A Clipper, C-20G — about 28 in all
KC-130J: 74 delivered of 83 ordered at 31 December 2023
- Unmanned aircraft
- MQ-9A Reaper — two squadrons and a training squadronVMU-1 at Yuma, VMU-3 at Kaneohe Bay and VMUT-2 at Cherry Point. Counts differ: 4 at the end of 2022, 20 in Wikipedia’s undated list
- Presidential helicopters
- HMX-1, QuanticoVH-92A Patriot (operational 2024) replacing the VH-3D and VH-60N; HMX-1 also flies MV-22s
- Flying squadrons
- About 68Wikipedia’s squadron list, including the reserve wing, training and test squadrons and HMX-1. Force Design is still changing the total
Infrastructure
- Marine Corps Air Stations
-
- Miramar, Camp Pendleton (California)
- Yuma (Arizona)
- Cherry Point, New River (North Carolina)
- Beaufort (South Carolina)
- Kaneohe Bay (Hawaii)
- Iwakuni, Futenma (Japan)
Nine air stations; Kaneohe Bay is part of Marine Corps Base Hawaii
- Air facilities and detachments
-
- MCAF Quantico — HMX-1
- Marine aviation detachments at China Lake and Patuxent River
Plus the airfield at the Twentynine Palms combat centre
- Closed air stations
-
- El Toro — 1999
- Tustin — 1999
- Ewa — 1952
- Miami (Opa-locka) — 1959
- El Centro and Santa Barbara — 1946
Closure years as listed by Wikipedia
- Expeditionary airfields
- Peleliu and Camp Davis SouthA KC-130J made the first military fixed-wing landing at the rebuilt Second World War strip on Peleliu on 22 June 2024; Camp Davis South in North Carolina reopened in August 2024 for austere-field training
- Ships
- Amphibious assault ships and Navy carriersF-35Bs, MV-22s and helicopters deploy with Marine Expeditionary Units on amphibious ships; Marine F-35C and Hornet squadrons serve in Navy carrier air wings
How the United States Marine Corps Aviation is organised
Not a separate service but the aviation element of the Marine Corps, run from Headquarters Marine Corps by the Deputy Commandant for Aviation, with its flying units in four Marine Aircraft Wings under the Marine Expeditionary Forces. The 1st Wing is on Okinawa, the 2nd at Cherry Point and the 3rd at Miramar, and the 4th is the reserve; together they fly about 68 squadrons of F-35Bs and F-35Cs, the last Hornets, MV-22B Ospreys, CH-53s, Vipers, Venoms, KC-130Js and MQ-9As. F-35Bs, Ospreys and helicopters go to sea on amphibious ships, and Marine F-35C and Hornet squadrons serve in Navy carrier air wings. Navy units on Marine stations are not counted here.
Deputy Commandant for Aviation
Marine aviation has no separate commander: the Deputy Commandant for Aviation at Headquarters Marine Corps sets policy, plans and budgets, a post descended from the Aviation Section of 1919, whose first head was Alfred Cunningham, and so titled since June 1998. Lt. Gen. William H. Swan took over on 2 October 2025 from Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering. The flying units belong to the four Marine Aircraft Wings under the Marine Expeditionary Forces.
1st Marine Aircraft Wing
The Pacific wing, with its headquarters on Okinawa. Marine Aircraft Group 12 at Iwakuni flies the F-35Bs of VMFA-121, the first F-35B squadron permanently based abroad since January 2017, and VMFA-242, with the KC-130Js of VMGR-152; the MV-22B Ospreys of VMM-262 and VMM-265 fly from Futenma.
2nd Marine Aircraft Wing
The East Coast wing, headquartered at Cherry Point, where Marine Aircraft Group 14 flies F-35Bs and, with VMFA-251 since 2024, F-35Cs, KC-130Js and MQ-9A crew training, and where the AV-8B sundown was held on 3 June 2026. Marine Aircraft Group 31 at Beaufort trains F-35B pilots and keeps some of the last Hornets; Groups 26 and 29 at New River fly the Ospreys and the first CH-53K squadron, HMH-461.
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
The West Coast wing, at Miramar since it left El Toro in 1999: Marine Aircraft Group 11 flies F-35Bs, F-35Cs, Hornets and KC-130Js and Group 16 Ospreys and CH-53E heavy-lift helicopters at Miramar, Group 13 four F-35B squadrons at Yuma and Group 39 AH-1Z Vipers, UH-1Y Venoms and Ospreys at Camp Pendleton.
Marine Aircraft Group 24
The MV-22B Ospreys of VMM-268 and VMM-363, the KC-130Js of VMGR-153 and the MQ-9A Reapers of VMU-3, which reached initial operational capability in August 2023, at Kaneohe Bay, part of Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
4th Marine Aircraft Wing
The reserve wing, under Marine Forces Reserve. Reserve squadrons on the stations listed here include the F-5N/F adversaries of VMFT-401 at Yuma, which train all US services and selected allied air forces, and the light attack helicopter squadron HMLA-775 at Camp Pendleton.
Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One
Runs the Weapons and Tactics Instructor course for all Marine tactical aviation units over the Chocolate Mountain and Barry M. Goldwater ranges; the operational test squadron VMX-1 flies beside it with the F-35B, AH-1Z, MV-22, CH-53, UH-1Y and RQ-21B.
Marine Helicopter Squadron One
Commissioned at Quantico on 1 December 1947 to test landing troops by helicopter from ships, it has flown the President as Marine One since 7 September 1957; the VH-92A Patriot, operational in 2024, is replacing the VH-3D and VH-60N, and the squadron also flies MV-22s.
What the United States Marine Corps Aviation flies today
Every type on charge, linked to its Book of Beasts page where one exists. Counts are aircraft on the books, not aircraft available on a given day.
| Type | Role | In service | Since | Units | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIIn service | Stealth STOVL multirole fighter | 112 | 2015 | — | 112 in Wikipedia’s undated list; World Air Forces 2023 counted 127 F-35s of both versions at the end of 2022.
MoreThe planned split of the 420-aircraft programme is given as 280 F-35B and 140 F-35C in that list; the F-35 article gives 353 and 67. Sources disagree and no official 2026 figure was reachable. |
|
| Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning IIIn service | Stealth carrier multirole fighter | 45 | 2020 | — | 45 in Wikipedia’s undated list. More squadrons are to convert: VMFA-115 (2026), VMFA-232 and VMFA-323 (2029) and VMFA-112 (2030), according to the squadron list. | |
| McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A/C/D HornetIn service | Multirole fighter | 138 | — | 138 at the end of 2022 (World Air Forces 2023); fewer each year.
MoreWikipedia’s squadron list shows VMFA-232 and VMFA-323 and the reserve VMFA-112 on the Hornet in 2026, with VMFA-312 converting to the F-35B in 2028. |
||
| Bell Boeing MV-22B OspreyIn service | Tiltrotor assault transport | 289 | 2007 | — | 289 at the end of 2022 with 13 more on order (World Air Forces 2023); 288 in Wikipedia’s undated list. 360 were planned in 2005. | |
| Sikorsky CH-53E Super StallionIn service | Heavy-lift helicopter | 140 | — | 140 at the end of 2022 (World Air Forces 2023); 133 in Wikipedia’s undated list. | ||
| Sikorsky CH-53K King StallionIn service | Heavy-lift helicopter | 11 | 2018 | — | 9 at the end of 2022 and 11 in Wikipedia’s undated list; deliveries continue. The planned total is 200. | |
| Bell AH-1Z ViperIn service | Attack helicopter | 159 | — | 159 at the end of 2022 (World Air Forces 2023); 189 in Wikipedia’s undated list, which also notes ten to be divested in fiscal 2025. Range 159–189. | ||
| Bell UH-1Y VenomIn service | Utility helicopter | 160 | — | 160 in both World Air Forces 2023 and Wikipedia’s list. | ||
| Lockheed Martin KC-130J Super HerculesIn service | Tanker and tactical transport | 74 | 2004 | — | 74 delivered of 83 ordered at 31 December 2023. Force Design added one tanker squadron. | |
| General Atomics MQ-9A ReaperIn service | Armed reconnaissance drone | 20 | 2018 | — | 20 in Wikipedia’s undated list; 4 at the end of 2022. Range 4–20 depending on date. | |
| Sikorsky VH-92A PatriotIn service | Presidential helicopter | 23 | 2024 | — | 23 in Wikipedia’s undated list; HMX-1 had nine on charge in August 2024 per the squadron article. | |
| Sikorsky VH-3D Sea King and VH-60N WhitehawkIn service | Presidential helicopters | 16 | — | HMX-1 had 10 VH-3Ds and 6 VH-60Ns in August 2024; both are being replaced by the VH-92A and the date of final retirement was not confirmed. | ||
| Northrop F-5N/F Tiger IIIn service | Adversary training | 12 | — | 12 (World Air Forces 2023 and Wikipedia’s list). | ||
| Beechcraft UC-12, Cessna UC-35D, Boeing C-40A and Gulfstream C-20GIn service | Utility and logistics transport | 28 | — | End-2022 figures: 15 UC-12, 10 UC-35D, 2 C-40A and 1 C-20G (World Air Forces 2023). |
On order
| Type | Ordered | First delivery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin F-35B and F-35C Lightning IIOn order | — | 2015 | The programme totals 420 aircraft; sources disagree on the split (280 B and 140 C, or 353 B and 67 C) and on how many are still to come.
MoreVMA-223 is to become VMFA-223 with the F-35B in fiscal 2028 and the remaining Hornet squadrons are to convert by about 2030. |
|
| Sikorsky CH-53K King StallionOn order | — | 2018 | Planned total of 200; 9–11 had been counted in the sources consulted and deliveries continue. The number still to be delivered in 2026 was not confirmed. | |
| Lockheed Martin KC-130J Super HerculesOn order | 9 | 2004 | 83 ordered and 74 delivered at 31 December 2023; later deliveries were not confirmed. |
Every type the United States Marine Corps Aviation has retired
23 types, from the Burgess Model H and early Navy seaplanes to the McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II. Peak figures are airframes taken on charge over the whole service life, not fleet strength on any one date.
| Type | Role | Peak | Served | Replaced by | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II | STOVL attack aircraft | 87 | 1985–2026 | F-35B Lightning II | 87 at the end of 2022 (World Air Forces 2023). The Marine Corps planned 336; 337 were built in all, excluding the YAV-8B. | |
| Grumman EA-6B Prowler | Electronic warfare | — | — | — | Not stated. | |
| Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier | STOVL attack aircraft | — | 1971– | AV-8B Harrier II | Quantity not confirmed in the sources consulted. | |
| Grumman A-6E Intruder | All-weather attack | — | — | — | 20 in the Gulf on 1 February 1991. | |
| North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco | Forward air control | — | — | — | 19 in the Gulf on 1 February 1991. | |
| Bell AH-1G/J/T/W Cobra and SuperCobra | Attack helicopter | — | — | AH-1Z Viper | 75 AH-1s were in the Gulf on 1 February 1991. | |
| Bell UH-1E and UH-1N Iroquois | Utility helicopter | — | — | UH-1Y Venom | Not stated. | |
| Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight | Medium assault helicopter | — | — | MV-22B Osprey | Not stated. | |
| Sikorsky CH-53A/D Sea Stallion | Heavy helicopter | — | — | CH-53E, then CH-53K | Not stated. | |
| Sikorsky H-34 (HUS/UH-34) Seahorse | Assault helicopter | — | — | — | Not stated. | |
| Sikorsky HO3S-1 and Piasecki HRP-1 | Experimental and observation helicopters | — | 1947– | — | Not stated. | |
| McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II | Fighter-bomber | — | — | — | Not stated. | |
| Douglas A-4 Skyhawk | Light attack | — | — | — | Not stated. | |
| Grumman F9F Panther | Jet fighter-bomber | — | — | — | Not stated. | |
| McDonnell FH Phantom | First jet fighter | — | 1947– | — | Not stated. | |
| Vought F4U Corsair | Fighter-bomber | — | — | — | Not stated. | |
| Grumman F4F Wildcat | Fighter | — | — | F4U Corsair | VMF-211 had 24 F4F-3s in 1941, 12 of them at Wake. | |
| Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo | Fighter | — | — | F4F Wildcat | VMF-221 went into battle at Midway with 25 Buffaloes and Wildcats. | |
| Douglas SBD Dauntless | Dive-bomber | — | — | — | VMSB-232 brought 12 to Guadalcanal on 20 August 1942. | |
| Vought SB2U Vindicator | Dive-bomber | — | — | — | Not stated. | |
| Fokker F.VII trimotor | Transport | — | — | — | Not stated. | |
| Airco/Dayton-Wright DH-4 | Day bomber and observation | — | — | — | Five were used at Ocotal. | |
| Burgess Model H and early Navy seaplanes | First aircraft | — | 1912– | — | Not stated. |
Where United States Marine Corps Aviation flies from
Black pins are active bases, hollow pins the airfields that have closed. Cherry Point and Miramar are the headquarters of the 2nd and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wings, Yuma was the F-35B’s first home, and Futenma, in the middle of Ginowan on Okinawa, is the Pacific Osprey base whose replacement at Henoko, agreed in 1996, is still being built; the Japanese government calls it the most appropriate solution, and Okinawa Prefecture opposes it. Iwakuni in Japan is shared with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Navy Carrier Air Wing 5; El Toro and Tustin closed in 1999. Entries with no published aerodrome data carry no pin.
The United States
3 of the 12 bases above sit outside the United States, so the world map has to pull back until the home airfields cannot be told apart. The same pins again, without the overseas bases.
| Base | ICAO | Status | Runway | Units and aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IwakuniMarine Corps Air Station IwakuniYamaguchi Prefecture | RJOI | Active | 02/202,440 mconcrete |
|
| Marine Corps Air Facility QuanticoVirginia | KNYG | Active | 2/201,295 mconcrete (pem, grooved) |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station BeaufortSouth Carolina | KNBC | Active | 5/233,719 mconcrete (pem)14/322,439 mconcrete (pem) |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station Camp PendletonCalifornia | KNFG | Active | 3/211,830 m |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station Cherry PointNorth Carolina | KNKT | Active | 14L/32R2,736 m5L/23R2,587 m14R/32L2,559 m5R/23L2,496 m |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station FutenmaOkinawa Prefecture (Ginowan) | ROTM | Active | 06/242,740 masphalt and concrete |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe BayHawaii | PHNG | Active | 4/222,369 m |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station MiramarCalifornia | KNKX | Active | 6L/24R3,658 mconcrete6R/24L2,439 mconcrete (pem) |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station New RiverNorth Carolina | KNCA | Active | 5/231,562 m1/191,460 m |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station YumaArizona | KNYL | Active | 3L/21R4,054 mconcrete3R/21L2,816 masphalt and concrete8/261,873 m |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station El ToroCalifornia | KNZJ | Closed 1999 | 03/211,189 m07L/25R2,438 m07R/25L2,438 m16L/34R3,048 mconcrete16R/34L3,048 mconcrete |
|
| Marine Corps Air Station TustinCalifornia | Closed 1999 | — |
|
No air base matches that search.
Who is stationed where in the United States Marine Corps Aviation
Flying units by base, current units first. Marine squadrons are grouped in Marine Aircraft Groups such as MAG-14 at Cherry Point and MAG-13 at Yuma, and their designations carry the role: Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, VMFA-211, flew the first American F-35 combat strike on 27 September 2018. Navy and Air Force units on Marine stations are marked as not Marine Corps. Where a squadron’s station rests on Wikipedia alone, the entry says so.
- Marine Aircraft Group 14Marine aircraft group · active
- F-35B and F-35C Lightning II, KC-130J Super Hercules, MQ-9A Reaper (training)
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 251 (VMFA-251)Thunderbolts · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35C Lightning II
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 542 (VMFA-542)Tigers · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II, AV-8B Harrier II (former)
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 231 (VMFA-231)Ace of Spades · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II, AV-8B Harrier II (to 2025)
- Marine Attack Squadron 223 (VMA-223)Bulldogs · Attack squadron (in transition) · active
- AV-8B Harrier II
- Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 252 (VMGR-252)Otis · Tanker and transport squadron · active
- KC-130J Super Hercules
- Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Training Squadron 2 (VMUT-2)Night Owls · Unmanned aircraft training squadron · active
- MQ-9A Reaper, RQ-21A Blackjack
- Fleet Readiness Center EastDepot-level maintenance (Navy) · joint
- —
- Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 2 (VMAQ-2)1952–2019
- EA-6B Prowler
- Marine Aircraft Group 13Marine aircraft group · active
- F-35B Lightning II, AV-8B Harrier II (former)
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 214 (VMFA-214)Black Sheep · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211)Avengers · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II, AV-8B Harrier II (to 2016)
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122 (VMFA-122)Werewolves · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 225 (VMFA-225)Vikings · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II
- Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1)Weapons school · active
- —
- Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron 1 (VMX-1)Storm · Test and evaluation squadron · active
- F-35B, AH-1Z, MV-22, CH-53, UH-1Y, RQ-21B
- Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401 (VMFT-401)Snipers · Adversary squadron (reserve) · reserve
- F-5N/F Tiger II
- Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 (VMU-1)Watchdogs · Unmanned aircraft squadron · active
- MQ-9A Reaper
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121)2012–2017
- F-35B Lightning II
- Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 101 (VMFAT-101)—
- F-4 Phantom II
- 4750th Training Wing (Air Defense), US Air Force1954–1959
- F-86D Sabre, F-94C Starfire, T-33A, B-45A target tug
- Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262 (VMM-262)Medium tiltrotor squadron · active
- MV-22B Osprey
- Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 (VMM-265)Medium tiltrotor squadron · active
- MV-22B Osprey
- Marine air control units (MACS-4, MASS-2, MTACS-18)Air control and support squadrons · active
- —
- Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152)—
- KC-130J Super Hercules
- Marine Aircraft Group 161960–
- —
- Marine Aircraft Group 11Marine aircraft group · active
- F-35B and F-35C Lightning II, F/A-18C/D Hornet, KC-130J
- Marine Aircraft Group 16Marine aircraft group · active
- MV-22B Osprey, CH-53E Super Stallion
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314)Black Knights · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35C Lightning II
- Marine Aircraft Group 31Marine aircraft group · active
- F-35B Lightning II, F/A-18A/C Hornet
- Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501)Warlords · F-35B fleet replacement squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 533 (VMFA-533)Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224 (VMFA-224)Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 312 (VMFA-312)Checkerboards · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F/A-18C Hornet
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 (VMFA-115)Silver Eagles · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F/A-18A/C Hornet, F-35C Lightning II (planned)
- Marine Aircraft Group 26Marine aircraft group · active
- MV-22B Osprey
- Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 (VMMT-204)Tiltrotor training squadron · active
- MV-22B Osprey
- Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461)Heavy helicopter squadron · active
- CH-53K King Stallion
- Marine Aircraft Group 39Marine aircraft group · active
- AH-1Z Viper, UH-1Y Venom, MV-22B Osprey
- Marine Aircraft Group 24Marine aircraft group · active
- MV-22B Osprey (VMM-268, VMM-363), KC-130J (VMGR-153), MQ-9A Reaper and RQ-21A (VMU-3)
- US Navy patrol squadrons (VP-4 and others)Maritime patrol (Navy) · joint
- P-8A Poseidon
- US Navy PBY Catalina patrol squadrons, Naval Air Station Kaneohe Bay1939–1949
- PBY Catalina
- Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1)Presidential and test helicopter squadron · active
- VH-92A Patriot, VH-3D Sea King and VH-60N Whitehawk, MV-22B Osprey
- Marine Aircraft Group 12Marine aircraft group · active
- F-35B Lightning II, KC-130J Super Hercules
- Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 (VMFA-121)Green Knights · Fighter attack squadron · active
- F-35B Lightning II
- Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 (VMGR-152)Sumos · Tanker and transport squadron · active
- KC-130J Super Hercules
- Carrier Air Wing 5 (US Navy)Carrier air wing (Navy, shore base) · joint
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No unit matches that search.
United States Marine Corps Aviation milestones, 1914 to today
22 May: First Lieutenant Alfred Cunningham reports for flight training at Annapolis, the date kept as Marine aviation’s birthday. 20 August: his first solo, at Marblehead.
January: the 1st Marine Aeronautic Company, a product of the Aviation Company formed at Philadelphia on 17 February 1917, deploys to the Azores. 30 July: the 1st Marine Aviation Force lands at Brest. 8 October: Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot’s action earns the first Medal of Honor for a Marine aviator.
An Aviation Section is created at Headquarters Marine Corps; Cunningham is its first head from 17 November.
16 July: five DH-4s under Major Ross Rowell dive-bomb Sandinista forces besieging the Marine garrison at Ocotal, Nicaragua.
7 July: 1st Marine Aircraft Wing is activated at Quantico. 8 December: VMF-211 is attacked at Wake and loses seven Wildcats on the ground.
4 June: VMF-221 and VMSB-241 are shattered at Midway. 20 August: the first Marine aircraft land at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal — the start of the Cactus Air Force.
1 December: HMX-1, the first Marine helicopter squadron, is commissioned at Quantico; in November VMF-122 had become the first Marine jet squadron.
August: VMO-6 flies the first Marine helicopter combat missions at the Pusan Perimeter. December: VMF-311 takes Panther jets into combat in Korea.
7 September: an HMX-1 helicopter carries President Eisenhower, the start of the Marine One mission.
April: HMM-362 deploys to the Mekong Delta, the first Marine aviation unit in Vietnam.
April: HMM-164 helicopters lift the last evacuees from the American embassy in Saigon.
January: the AV-8B Harrier II reaches operational capability with VMA-331.
Desert Storm: 3rd MAW deploys more than 40 squadrons and flies over 18,000 sorties; five AV-8Bs are lost to Iraqi missiles.
13 June: the MV-22B Osprey reaches initial operational capability; VMM-263 takes it to Iraq.
14 September: Taliban attackers at Camp Bastion destroy six AV-8Bs and kill two Marines, among them VMA-211’s commander.
July: the F-35B reaches initial operational capability with VMFA-121; on 27 September 2018 a Marine F-35B flies the first American F-35 combat strike.
21 January: VMFA-314 becomes the first Marine F-35C squadron. March: General David Berger publishes Force Design 2030.
3 February: a VMFA-314 F-35C shoots down an Iranian drone near USS Abraham Lincoln. From 28 February Marine F-35s fly in Operation Epic Fury. 3 June: the AV-8B sundown at Cherry Point; VMFA-231 is reactivated on the F-35B on 4 June.
Every war United States Marine Corps Aviation has fought
Sorties and losses where the record gives them, and an honest blank where it does not.
- Operation Epic Fury 2026 Marine F-35Cs flew combat missions from USS Abraham Lincoln and from land after VMFA-311 deployed from Miramar; F-35Bs went to sea aboard USS Boxer and USS Tripoli, and the 31st MEU arrived to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz
- Red Sea operations against the Houthis 2023-2025 Marine F-35Cs of VMFA-314 flew with the Navy carrier air wing aboard USS Abraham Lincoln in 2024 and took part in strikes on Houthi military facilities in Yemen
- Operation Inherent Resolve 2014-2021 A Kuwait-based crisis response task force with MV-22Bs, KC-130Js, F/A-18Ds and AV-8Bs supported the fight for Mosul and operations in Syria, reinforced the Baghdad embassy in 2019 and supported the Kabul evacuation in 2021
- Operation Odyssey Dawn 2011 AV-8Bs of the 26th MEU attacked Gaddafi’s forces near Benghazi, and Marine aircraft recovered the pilot of a crashed F-15E
- The Iraq War 2003-2011 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing supported the Marine advance on Baghdad in 2003 and then the long counter-insurgency in Anbar province
United States Marine Corps Aviation news from Afterburner
Everything MiGFlug’s magazine has published on the United States Marine Corps Aviation and the aircraft it flies. This list refreshes itself — new Afterburner stories appear here automatically.
Everything people ask about the United States Marine Corps Aviation
What is United States Marine Corps Aviation?
When did Marine Corps aviation start?
What aircraft does the Marine Corps fly today?
Why does the Marine Corps have its own air force?
When did the Marine Corps retire the Harrier?
Did the Marines fly in the 2026 war with Iran?
Who was the top Marine Corps ace?
What was the Cactus Air Force?
Is the Osprey safe?
What is Force Design and why is it controversial?
Read the aircraft the United States Marine Corps Aviation flew
Every type with a page in the Book of Beasts, in service first, then by the year it left the fleet.
Every fact, checked
- FlightGlobal: World Air Forces 2023 (cited in the Wikipedia inventory table)The source of the type-by-type inventory in the Wikipedia article, as at the end of 2022. Not reachable directly; figures taken from the Wikipedia table that cites it.
- Headquarters Marine Corps, Deputy Commandant for Aviation (official site)Office address at 3000 Marine Corps Pentagon. The site’s aviation plan pages refused automated access (HTTP 403).
- The Aviationist: U.S. F-35C Shoots Down Iranian Drone Heading for USS Lincoln (3 February 2026)VMFA-314 F-35C from USS Abraham Lincoln shot down a Shahed-139 over the Arabian Sea; CENTCOM statement by Capt. Tim Hawkins.
- Marine Corps Times: Marine squadron conducts its final Harrier flight in switch to F-35 (2 June 2025)VMA-231’s last Harrier flight on 29 May 2025 at Cherry Point; deactivation planned for September 2025; full fifth-generation tactical fleet expected by 2030.
- The Aviationist: End of an Era — U.S. Marine Corps Celebrates AV-8B Harrier II Sundown (3 June 2026)Sundown ceremony at MCAS Cherry Point on 3 June 2026; VMA-223 back from its last deployment on 20 May 2026; deactivation expected in September 2026.
- The Aviationist: U.S. Marines MQ-9A Reaper Drones Deployed to the Philippines (10 June 2024)VMU-3 rotational detachment at Basa Air Base and the stated purpose, quoted from a withdrawn Pacific Air Forces release.
- The Aviationist: The U.S. Marines Reopening WW2 Airfields (24 September 2024)Camp Davis South reopened August 2024; Peleliu recertified, first KC-130J landing on 22 June 2024.
- Air & Space Forces Magazine: WORLD — Epic FuryClose to 300 Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fighters in the campaign; listed American losses.
- U.S. Department of War: Epic Fury Quelled for Now, Objectives Accomplished, U.S. Forces Remain Ready38-day duration and ceasefire of 7 April 2026 (as used on the USAF page of this site).
- The War Zone: Land-Based Marine Corps F-35Cs Are Now Moving Towards The Middle East (24 March 2026)VMFA-311’s ten F-35Cs via RAF Lakenheath; Marine F-35Cs in combat from USS Abraham Lincoln; F-35Bs aboard USS Boxer and USS Tripoli; the 31st MEU.
- Air & Space Forces Magazine: Desert OneRH-53D crews: 16 pilots, 12 of them Marines, under Lt. Col. Edward Seiffert; five airmen and three Marines killed.
- Air Force Historical Support Division: 1980 — Operation Eagle ClawForces committed and the abort at Desert One (as used on the USAF page of this site).
- AirNav: KNKT Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station (Cunningham Field)FAA data: reference point 34.9031717, -76.8807747; elevation 29 ft; runways 14L/32R 8,978 ft, 5L/23R 8,489 ft, 14R/32L 8,397 ft, 5R/23L 8,189 ft, all asphalt.
- AirNav: KNYL Yuma Marine Corps Air Station/Yuma International AirportFAA data: reference point 32.6559203, -114.6064003; elevation 213.3 ft; runways 3L/21R 13,300 ft, 3R/21L 9,240 ft, 8/26 6,146 ft; owned by the USMC and Yuma County Airport Authority.
- AirNav: KNKX Miramar MCAS (Joe Foss Field)FAA data: reference point 32.8685291, -117.1431922; elevation 476.9 ft; runways 6L/24R 12,000 ft and 6R/24L 8,001 ft.
- AirNav: KNBC Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station (Merritt Field)FAA data: reference point 32.4805669, -80.7192448; elevation 37 ft; runways 5/23 12,202 ft and 14/32 8,001 ft.
- AirNav: KNCA New River Marine Corps Air Station (McCutcheon Field)FAA data: reference point 34.7084333, -77.4396667; elevation 26 ft; runways 5/23 5,125 ft and 1/19 4,789 ft.
- AirNav: PHNG Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Air Station (Marion E Carl Field)FAA data: reference point 21.4504556, -157.7679486; elevation 23 ft; runway 4/22 7,771 ft.
- AirNav: KNFG Camp Pendleton MCAS (Munn Field)FAA data: reference point 33.3012583, -117.3551694; elevation 77.6 ft (estimated); runway 3/21 6,005 ft.
- AirNav: KNYG Quantico Marine Corps Air Facility (Turner Field)FAA data: reference point 38.5036245, -77.3050339; elevation 10.3 ft; runway 2/20 4,250 ft.
- MiGFlug Order of Battle dataset: JMSDF stations, Iwakuni rowExisting row for the same airfield (data/_jmsdf/stations.json, slug iwakuni); reference point, elevation and runway reused for consistency.
Figures verified 2026-10-01. Order of Battle pages are regenerated from a single dataset; if a number here disagrees with a Book of Beasts page, this page is the more recent of the two.
Photographs: Photo: Marina Militare Italiana / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Joealfred Damaso / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S. Navy Matthew Poynor / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Molly Hampton / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Acroterion / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Photo: Lance Cpl. Clarence Leake / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dahkareo Pritchett / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photos: US Air Force / Wikimedia Commons (public domain) · Photo: U.S. Marine Corps/Lance Cpl. Ashley Phillips / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S. Air Force AFCENT by Staff Sgt. Caleb Roland / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: US Air Force from USA / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Sgt. Cordova, USMC / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Looper5920 at Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Paula J Sato / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S. Marine Corps photo 127-GR-4-50985 / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)