Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 (HMLA-269) is currently commanded by Lt. Col. Short and is a squadron consisting of the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter and the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter. They are known as the Gunrunners, and next door within the same hangar are the Warriors of Marine Light…
By Robbin Laird During my visit to 2nd MAW during the first week of December, I had a chance to visit MAG-29, with regard to both the CH-53 and H-1 units. Then I had a chance to discuss the way ahead for the assault force with the Commanding Officer of…
By Robbin Laird The last two International Fighter Conferences, 2018 and 2019, where very different from this one. And I am not just referring to the virtual nature of the conference. This fighter conference was less about fighters than about the changing context of airpower in terms of what enables…
By Robbin Laird I first visited 2nd MAW in 2007, at the beginning of the Osprey era. There I saw a small number of the aircraft on the tarmac and met with pilots and maintainers at the beginning of a long period of disruptive change, a period of change which…
By Robbin Laird Marine Corps Air Station, New River. Yesterday, during my visit to New River, I experienced flying in the cockpit of the Marine Corps’s latest key air capability, the CH-53K. I was in the cockpit with LtCol Luke “Amber” Frank, the VMX-1 Detachment OIC. He is a very…
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Riley McDowell USS Gerald R. Ford Public Affairs ATLANTIC OCEAN — Combat Systems divisions assigned to USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) have helped the ship earn its Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) certification November 17 while underway in the Atlantic Ocean. The certification, ensures that the…
By Robbin Laird I have attended and reported on the last two International Fighter Conferences, both held in Berlin, in 2018 and 2019. Unfortunately, this one was held on a Zoom stage due to the COVID-19 world. This year I was especially looking forward to coming to Berlin, because my…
By Airman 1st Class Brooke Moeder, 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs The Royal Australian Air Force returned a majority of its F-35A Lightning II pilots, maintainers and aircraft to RAAF Base Williamtown, Australia, in December 2019, but still maintains a joint pilot-training and maintenance presence at Luke AFB. RAAF Maj.…
