USS Wasp Flight Ops

04/22/2018
F-35B Lightning II pilots with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit perform flight operations aboard the USS Wasp (LHD-1) during Certification Exercise, April 13, 2018.  The 31st MEU and Amphibious Squadron 11 conduct Certification Exercise as the final evaluation in a series of training exercises which ensures readiness for crisis response…

Arming the F-35 the Marine Corps Way

04/18/2018
Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 mount 1,000 pound Guided Bomb Units onto an F-35B Lightning IIs on the flight deck of the USS Wasp (LHD-1) while underway in the Philippine Sea, March 24, 2018.  This event marked the first time an F-35 has been loaded with live ordnance…

HIMARS Sea-Based Expeditionary Fires

12/05/2017
12/05/17: U.S. Marines with Battery R, 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division launch a rocket from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) off the USS Anchorage (LPD-23) during Exercise Dawn Blitz, Oct. 22, 2017. Dawn Blitz 17 allows the amphibious force to integrate the F-35B Lightning II…

F-35B at Iwakuni

12/05/2017
F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 depart Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Oct. 20, 2017. MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, JAPAN 10.20.2017 Video by Staff Sgt. William Faffler Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni  

F-35B Lightning II Onboard the USS Essex

12/03/2017
12/03/2017: U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II pilots assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, participate in carrier qualifications aboard the USS Essex (LHD-2) during Exercise Dawn Blitz, Oct. 22, 2017. Dawn Blitz is a scenario-driven amphibious exercise conducted between Expeditionary Strike…

F-35B Lightning II Carrier Qualifications

12/01/2017
12/01/2017: U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II pilots assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211, Marine Aircraft Group 13, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, participate in carrier qualifications aboard the USS Essex (LHD-2) during Exercise Dawn Blitz, Oct. 22, 2017. Dawn Blitz is a scenario-driven amphibious exercise conducted between Expeditionary Strike…

Remaining VMFA-121 F-35Bs Arrive in Japan

11/21/2017
11/21/17: U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121 lands at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, Nov. 15, 2017. The remaining aircraft represent the last installment of F-35B Lightning IIs assigned to VMFA-121. The F-35B Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter, which…

Firing HIMARS at Sea: A Case Study in the Evolution of the MAGTF

11/01/2017
10/25/2017: U.S. Marines with Battery R, 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division launch a rocket from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) off the USS Anchorage (LPD-23) during Exercise Dawn Blitz, Oct. 22, 2017. Dawn Blitz 17 allows the amphibious force to integrate the F-35B Lightning II and…