The 2014 Miramar Air Show: The End of the CH-46 Era and the Beginning of the F-35B Transformation

10/15/2014
10/12/2014: F-35 Lightning II with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 performing at the 2014 Miramar Air Show aboard Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., Oct. 4. The show was noteworthy for marking both the end of an era and a beginning. The CH-46 flew at the air show at…

24th MEU Aviation Ops: Preparing for Deployment

10/15/2014
10/15/2014: Aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced), 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and the U.S. Navy’s Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 28 conduct operations aboard the USS Iwo Jima off the coast of North Carolina, Aug. 9, 2014. The 24th MEU is seen  taking part in Amphibious Squadron/Marine Expeditionary Unit…

Platform Baker Fire Response in Alaska Overflight Footage

10/14/2014
10/14/2014: Overflight footage of the natural gas drill platform Baker in Cook Inlet near Kenai, Alaska, filmed by a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Kodiak, Oct. 3, 2014. Multiple Coast Guard assets, along with personnel from Hilcorp, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, Nikiski Fire Department, CISPRI…

The Commissioning of the USS America, October 11, 2014

10/13/2014
10/13/2014: Second Line of Defense has followed the USS America in detail since it christening event. Now the ship has been commissioned and will prepare for its active duty role.  It will do so in a troubled world, where the Marines and sailors are likely to see difficult duty in…

Defense of the Expeditionary Airfield: A Core USMC Competence

10/13/2014
10/13/2014: U.S. Marines attending Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Course 1-15 conduct a Defense of the Expeditionary Airfield Two (DEAF-2) exercise which involves defending a forward arming refueling point site against simulated attackers at Bull Attack, Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, Calif., Oct. 03, 2014. The DEAF-2 exercise supported WTI…

USS America Commissioning

10/13/2014
10/12/2014: The Navy's newest amphibious assault ship USS America is commissioned during San Francisco Fleet Week. This portion of the Commissioning event contains the remarks of the ship’s skipper, Captain Bob Hall.  Credit: DoD News:10/11/14 For overview pieces on the USS America: The USS America: Redefining Amphibious Assault 10/08/2014 –…

The End of an Era: Last CH-46 Squadron Redesignates

10/13/2014
10/13/2014: Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364, Purple Foxes, redesignated to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 364 during a change of command and redesignation ceremony aboard Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, Calif., Oct. 9. The unit transformed platforms from the CH-46 Sea Knight to the MV-22 Osprey. This was the last…