Summer Fury 21: 3rd Marine Air Wing Works Maritime Strikes

Posted on | by Robbin Laird
07/21/2021

by 1st Lt. Charles Allen

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. – (July 7, 2021) Marines with 3rd Marine
Aircraft Wing begin Exercise Summer Fury 21 with a long-range maritime strike off the coast of
Washington. Summer Fury is the largest Marine aviation exercise on the West Coast, and provides 3rd  MAW opportunity to improve warfighter readiness in support of a Marine Expeditionary Force maritime  campaign.

From July 7 to July 9, 3rd MAW will execute a long-range maritime strike against a simulated enemy  naval surface combatant. With the support of the Port of Moses Lake, 3rd MAW will demonstrate its capability to conduct fixed-wing strike operations with F/A-18C Hornets and F-35B Lighting IIs against adversarial naval combatants in a distributed, maritime environment.

“The Summer Fury long-range strike is an opportunity for 3rd MAW to execute a maritime strike against  an enemy surface combatant while being supported by an aerial-delivered forward arming and refueling  point,” said Lt. Col. Duncan A. French, 3rd MAW lead operations planner. “The concepts and tasks  inherent in this mission are critical to the success of a fight against a peer adversary.”

3rd MAW, with a combination of organic aircraft and joint enablers, will conduct Summer Fury from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Kirtland Air Force Base, and  surrounding key locations along the western United States.

This exercise will showcase the aviation combat power of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing and all its  functions,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher J. Mahoney, 3rd MAW commanding general. “You will see  expeditionary naval combat power across a wide range of terrain and combat scenarios. From  sophisticated communications systems to expeditionary basing to the decisive power of 5th generation  platforms, our leading-edge tactics and capabilities are honed to a fine edge. Make no mistake about it,  3rd MAW is ready to fight and win- whenever and wherever that fight takes us.”

Summer Fury 21 will continue until July 30, during which 3rd MAW squadrons will execute additional  missions, including support of advanced naval bases and anti-air warfare, culminating in a missile shoot,  all while maintaining a variety of distributed command and control centers.

3rd MAW continues to “Fix, Fly and Fight” as the Marine Corps’ largest aircraft wing, and remains  combat-ready, deployable on short notice, and lethal when called into action.

This article was published by 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing on July 8, 2021.

An F-35B with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, Marine Air Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), conducts an air to air refueling operation with a KC-130J Hercules, during Marine Corps training exercise Summer Fury in California, July 8, 2021. Summer Fury is an exercise conducted by 3rd MAW in order to maintain and build capability, strength and trust within its units to generate the readiness and lethality needed to deter and defeat adversaries during combat operations as the U.S. Marine Corps refines tactics and equipment during Force Design 2030. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
An F-35B with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122, Marine Air Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), conducts an air to air refueling operation with a KC-130J Hercules, during Marine Corps training exercise Summer Fury in California, July 8, 2021. Summer Fury is an exercise conducted by 3rd MAW in order to maintain and build capability, strength and trust within its units to generate the readiness and lethality needed to deter and defeat adversaries during combat operations as the U.S. Marine Corps refines tactics and equipment during Force Design 2030. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
F/A-18C Hornets with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, Marine Air Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), conducts an air to air refueling operation with a KC-130J Hercules, during Marine Corps training exercise Summer Fury in California, July 8, 2021. Summer Fury is an exercise conducted by 3rd MAW in order to maintain and build capability, strength and trust within its units to generate the readiness and lethality needed to deter and defeat adversaries during combat operations as the U.S. Marine Corps refines tactics and equipment during Force Design 2030. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
The flagship aircraft with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 166, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conducts an air to air refueling operation with a KC-130J Hercules, during Marine Corps training exercise Summer Fury at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, July 7, 2021. Summer Fury is an exercise conducted by 3rd MAW in order to maintain and build capability, strength and trust within its units to generate the readiness and lethality needed to deter and defeat adversaries during combat operations as the U.S. Marine Corps refines tactics and equipment during Force Design 2030. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
The flagship aircraft with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 166, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, conducts an air to air refueling operation with a KC-130J Hercules, during Marine Corps training exercise Summer Fury at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, July 7, 2021. Summer Fury is an exercise conducted by 3rd MAW in order to maintain and build capability, strength and trust within its units to generate the readiness and lethality needed to deter and defeat adversaries during combat operations as the U.S. Marine Corps refines tactics and equipment during Force Design 2030. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey's with Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW), conduct air to air refueling operations during Marine Corps training exercise Summer Fury at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, July 7, 2021. Summer Fury is an exercise conducted by 3rd MAW in order to maintain and build capability, strength and trust within its units to generate the readiness and lethality needed to deter and defeat adversaries during combat operations as the U.S. Marine Corps refines tactics and equipment during Force Design 2030. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
U.S. Marines with3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW), disembark a KC-130J Hercules during Marine Corps training exercise Summer Fury at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, July 7, 2021. Summer Fury is an exercise conducted by 3rd MAW in order to maintain and build capability, strength and trust within its units to generate the readiness and lethality needed to deter and defeat adversaries during combat operations as the U.S. Marine Corps refines tactics and equipment during Force Design 2030. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
A AH-1Z Viper Super Cobra with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, Marine Air Group 39, 3rd Marine Air Wing (MAW), maneuvers through the air while executing a defense counter air operation during Summer Fury 21 in California, July 13, 2021. HMLA-469 deployed 2 AH-1Z Viper’s loaded with Air Intercept Missile (AIM) 9 Sidewinders’s to neutralize an unmanned aerial system in order to maintain a competitive edge over our adversaries. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
An AH-1Z Viper with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, Marine Air Group 39, 3rd Marine Air Wing (MAW), maneuvers through the air while executing a defense counter air operation in support of Summer Fury 21 in California, July 13, 2021. HMLA-469 deployed two AH-1Z Viper’s loaded with Air Intercept Missile (AIM) 9 Sidewinders’s to neutralize an unmanned aerial system in order to maintain a competitive edge over our adversaries. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
AH-1Z Viper's with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, Marine Air Group 39, 3rd Marine Air Wing (MAW), maneuver through the air while executing a defense counter air operation in support of Summer Fury 21 in California, July 13, 2021. HMLA-469 deployed two AH-1Z Viper’s loaded with Air Intercept Missile (AIM) 9 Sidewinders’s to neutralize an unmanned aerial system in order to maintain a competitive edge over our adversaries. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
An AH-1Z Viper with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, Marine Air Group 39, 3rd Marine Air Wing (MAW), deploys a flare while executing a defense counter air operation in support of Summer Fury 21 in California, July 13, 2021. HMLA-469 deployed two AH-1Z Viper’s loaded with Air Intercept Missile (AIM) 9 Sidewinders’s to neutralize an unmanned aerial system in order to maintain a competitive edge over our adversaries. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Quince Bisard)
An AH-1Z Viper with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) launches a flare in order to mark a target during defensive counter air operations in support of Summer Fury 21 in Fleta Hot airspace off the coast of California, July 13, 2021. HMLA-469 deployed two AH-1Z Viper’s loaded with Air Intercept Missile (AIM) 9 Sidewinder’s to neutralize an unmanned aerial system in order to maintain a competitive edge over our adversaries. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Levi Voss)
AH-1Z Viper’s with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 469, Marine Aircraft Group 39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) launch flares in order to mark a target during defensive counter air operations in support of Summer Fury 21 in Fleta Hot airspace off the coast of California, July 13, 2021. HMLA-469 deployed two AH-1Z Viper’s loaded with Air Intercept Missile (AIM) 9 Sidewinder’s to neutralize an unmanned aerial system in order to maintain a competitive edge over our adversaries. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Levi Voss)