By Robbin Laird Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 242 declares their initial operations capability (IOC) for the F-35B Lightning II on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Aug. 25, 2021. VMFA-242 is the second combat-capable forward-deployed F-35B squadron assigned to 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. The importance of the F-35 and their…
The CH-53K King Stallion executing night vision goggle helicopter aerial refueling. It is the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations vertical, long-range, heavy-lift, logistic backbone of the Marine Corps, today and for the next fight. Day. Night. All weather. Credit: NAVAIR July 16, 2021 Recently, Col. Perrin from NAVAIR provided an update on…
PACIFIC OCEAN (Apr. 14, 2021) An MV-22B Osprey assigned to Air Test and Evaluation (HX) Squadron 21 of Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Md., landing aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy’s (T-AH 19) flight deck for the first time Apr. 14. Mercy is underway off the coast…
The Viper is the expeditionary strike helicopter flown by the USMC. The US Navy is in the throes of a significant transition to fighting as a fleet, rather than operating around classic carrier task forces. One aspect of the change is reworking how the amphibious fleet can operate within the…
CH-53K King Stallion takes first fleet flight - Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1) at Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC, launch the CH-53K King Stallion on its first fleet flight January 15, 2021. The aircraft now enters a new phase of testing where it will be…
Last August, the CH-53K King Stallion completed two weeks of sea trials, completing 364 landings and takeoffs, day and night, from all nine deck spots and in various wind conditions to demonstrate its versatility and ability to operate from a ship on deployment. The CH-53K sea trials integrated test team…
As the strategic shift from the Middle Eastern land wars to engagement where flexibile, expeditionary basing is envisaged, the attack utility helicopter team of Vipers and Venoms is adapting. In a visit to 2nd Marine Air Wing in December 2020, the adaptation process was described in discussions with Marine Light…
By Robbin Laird, Marine Corps Air Station, New River. On December 3, 2020, 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…
